


Demon's Kin

by calikocat



Series: Our Roots Run Deep [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, YuYu Hakusho
Genre: Brothers, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-16
Updated: 2013-04-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 15:36:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/763045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calikocat/pseuds/calikocat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A faint voice in his head sends Yusuke searching for answers. He finds a brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So this takes place in season 1 of Buffy (after the hyena possession) and after the end of YuYu. Yusuke is about 2-3 years older than Xander. So there ya go. Also in my little world Yusuke went ahead and stayed in Makai till his 18th birthday. Don't know why he just did. XD

**Special Author's Note thingy!!!!!**

**My beta, who is the most awesome person ever nominated the 'Our Roots Run Deep' series over at the White Knight awards. o^^o And now I have fics nominated from this series in several categories. Weee!**

**http://wka.moments-lost.org/nominees.php**

2013 [](http://s18.photobucket.com/user/caliko_cat/media/wka2009-nom_zps5ef4588e.jpg.html)

[](http://s18.photobucket.com/user/caliko_cat/media/DemonsKinsmall_zps513899ec.jpg.html)

Demon’s Kin  
By: calikocat  
Word count: 4642

Disclaimer: Buffy belongs to Joss, and YuYu Hakusho belongs to Togashi. No money is being made from this, no copyright infringement was intended. I just like to write fanfiction, especially crossover fics.

XXX

A month, he’d been back for a month and life was great...well, almost great. As he'd promised he had returned to Keiko on his eighteenth birthday. He had planned to come back to her sooner, but a few things in Makai had needed his attention. Things such as a few diehard followers of Raizen not wanting to go by the new rules that had been set up. Normally it wouldn't have been much of a problem, but they'd banded together with a few old followers of Mukuro and Yomi as well. They were traditionalists that didn't like change. Luckily Enki, the first King of the new era was swift to quell any unrest. The traditionalists now thought long and hard before causing trouble. The strongest of them were now training for the next Makai tournament in hopes of winning and being crowned King of Makai.

Even now though, a handful of his ancestor's followers hoped that he would one day become King. Being King really wasn't his style, which was why he'd dissolved Raizen's country to begin with and come up with the idea of a tournament. That way there would be peace throughout the entire demon realm. Ruling a country or a world wasn't in him, no matter how many still considered him royalty. He had more important things on his mind, like his life with Keiko. Speaking of which...

He and Keiko were closer than ever before and wedding plans were under way. But something had been bothering him …and it wasn’t the weird and bizarre thing that was evidently Kuwabara and Hiei’s relationship. No that was a whole big separate thing that he still couldn’t wrap his mind around. Evidently after losing his final round in the last tournament Hiei had returned to the human realm...and had begun his courtship of Kuwabara.

Funnily enough Kuwabara had refused to be courted; at least until some ground rules had been set. The first being that Hiei had to come clean about his identity to Yukina. None of them had given Kuwabara enough credit; they should have realized that as strong as his psychic abilities were, Kuwabara would have sensed the similarities between the twins. So after Hiei had revealed himself to his sister, she'd simply smiled, called him a fool and said she'd known all along who he was. Why else would she have come back to the human realm other than to be close to her twin? Moving on though, the relationship between his best friend and the fire apparition was strange to him and he wasn’t going to try to understand it. He was just going to let them be, but so help him, if Hiei broke his best friend's heart he was going to pound the midget into the ground. Or die trying.

Back on track Yusuke. No, what was bothering him, and making life a bit difficult was...well...he was hearing a voice that would occasionally ghost across his mind. It had only happened a few times and only within the time he’d been back but he didn’t know what to think. It wasn’t Raizen thank Enma, the old man had moved on, but it wasn’t his own voice either. The fact that someone he didn’t know could call out to him like that bothered him on so many levels that he couldn’t begin to count them all. What he couldn’t put his finger on was how such a thing was possible. Which is where he came full circle, in other words Koenma’s help was needed so here he was, back in the Prince’s office after nearly four years since his first death.

He shook himself back into the present and blinked at Botan who was gazing at him curiously. She wore her usual pink kimono, you'd think after more than a thousand years as a grim reaper that Spirit Realm would have changed their employee’s uniforms. Come to think of it he wasn't sure why Koenma needed her here anyway. He wasn't working as a Spirit Detective anymore so he didn't need her as a guide or Special Assistant. A sense of foreboding settled over him.

“Yusuke?”

Yusuke managed to smile at her. “I’m fine.” Or so he hoped anyway.

Koenma, looking tired and somehow old, leaned back in his chair in his adult form; strangely enough he no longer kept his pacifier clenched between his teeth. Now he wore it around his neck...you could almost see the constant current of energy traveling down the chain into the object that the Prince was constantly feeding into it. Koenma cleared his throat and Yusuke met his eyes. “You may be fine now, but I suggest you sit down.”

“Why, am I dying or something?”

Koenma's eyes bugged for a second. “No, no, nothing like that. Keiko would kill us all if your number came up now. She’s waited a long time for you…but this is rather big Yusuke.” Koenma sighed and Yusuke sat down, the sense of foreboding growing worse every moment. Botan moved to stand beside the chair he now occupied, a silent show of support for whatever Koenma was going to break to him.

Might as well face it head on, it wasn't his style to just sit and take the punches. “So? What’s so big? What’s with the voice in my head, and if you say it’s because I’m crazy I’ll knock your teeth out.”

“If only. No it’s—here.” Koenma handed a folder to him. “This is Reikai’s file on a human named Harris, Alexander.”

Yusuke opened the folder and stared at the picture of a boy about fifteen or sixteen. There was a familiarity about the kid that he couldn't quite place. He had dark brown hair that was close to black and deep brown eyes that looked like they had seen more they should have, but he still had a smile on his face. His gaze moved from the photo to the information sheet, he frowned as he realized something. “There’s not much here Koenma, hardly enough for Reikai to have a file on the kid.”

Botan waved her hand and murmured something in a language Yusuke had never heard before. He felt a pulse of energy flicker from her hands and a second chair appeared. He gaped at her as she casually sat down and addressed him. “Actually Yusuke, Reikai has a file on everyone.” Botan smiled sadly. “That boy, he lives in California, in a town called Sunnydale.”

“Botan, how the hell did you do that?”

“Focus Yusuke, Botan's tricks are not what you're here to talk about.” Koenma glared at the former detective before turning a rather grim expression to his top Guide. “You remember him then?” She nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. What, did the kid die…oh geeze, is he haunting me or something?” Yusuke frowned as he looked at the report again. “It says here he’s not dead.”

“Botan knows him because she escorted a friend of his here, a friend he killed.” When Yusuke’s eyes started to grow cold Koenma hurried to explain. “Alexander’s friend, a boy named Jesse, was already dead.”

Now Yusuke just felt confused, and just the beginnings of a headache. “Come again? I don't think I heard that right.”

Koenma gave him a mild glare, which lessened when Botan gave him a sort of warning look. So the prince shook his head with a sigh. “I guess you wouldn't know about things like this. Jesse had been bitten and turned into a vampire; basically vampires are soulless demon possessed corpses.” Yusuke shook his head, yep; he was definitely getting a headache.

“I've never heard about anything like that. I mean yeah I've stories and seen movies about them...so they're real? And they're demons?”

“Yes.”

Botan sighed. “I had already collected Jesse’s soul, well most of it.” At Yusuke’s pointed look she continued. “When a person becomes a vampire they lose their soul and a demon from a Hell Dimension takes its place. But something of the victim survives a very tiny piece of what made them who they were. So I stuck around, more people were going to die, and I had a feeling Jesse wouldn’t be a vampire for long.”

“And you were right?” Yusuke asked.

Sorrow ghosted over Botan's normally cheerful face. “Unfortunately yes. There was a bit of a skirmish, some deaths, and a victory for the good guys. Alexander stopped Jesse from feeding on a classmate, so Jesse turned on him, was even going to kill him. They’d been friends for so long, but without his soul it all meant nothing to Jesse. And Alexander couldn’t do it; he couldn’t put the wooden stake through his best friend’s heart. But then someone who was escaping bumped into Jesse and he fell forward onto the stake, and turned to dust.” Botan shuddered and he couldn't blame her, he couldn't imagine having to kill one of his friends...or even something that was indistinguishable from them. Hitting them when one of them was being stupid was no problem, but killing them? Not a chance.

“That sucks, and I feel for the kid, I really do.” He tried not to wince as he made the understatement of the century. “Watching your best friend die is one the worst things you can see. But what does all this have to do with me and the voice in my head?” Yusuke asked as he closed the folder with a sense of finality and pushed it toward Koenma.

“That’s something that vampires and other demons have in common Yusuke, blood calls to blood.” Koenma pushed the folder back toward the former detective and opened it again. Damn. “Do you know the name of your biological father?”

Alarm bells started going off in his head, and he could almost see how all the pieces were going to fit together. “Kinda, his given name was Tony; he was an American or something. I saw a picture of him once, right before Mom burned it. Do I even want to know where you’re going with this?”

Koenma sifted through the papers until he found what he was after. He grimly held up another photograph. “Here is a picture of Alexander’s father; his name is Harris, Tony.”

Yusuke felt the blood drain from his face, and knew he was as white as a sheet. He stared at the face that sneered out at him from the picture. The man had dark brown hair that was starting to go grey, brown eyes that were bloodshot from too many years of drinking, and a cruel expression surrounded by unattractive stubble. He reached out with a shaky hand to bring it closer, and a laugh that shook just as much as his hand escaped him. “For a long time I wondered why my hair was darker than Mom’s. Then one day I found his picture...she snatched it before I ever got a good look at it, he didn't look like hell, like he does now...but this is him.”

“Yusuke?” Botan leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m okay…so…I have a little brother.” He was silent for a moment, letting it all sink it before giving the Prince of the Spirit Realm his best glare. “Damn it Koenma that is just too much. After all I've been through, everything that I've done...I’m a reformed delinquent and a full blooded demon and you’re telling me that I have a little brother out there!” He threw the photo of Tony at the Prince and stomped across the room, fists clenched. After a moment of deep breathing he turned back to his friends. “Is Alexander a demon? Does he need help dealing with the change?”

Botan shook her head. “He was human when I was there.”

“That’s something at least. I don't think it would be a good thing to bring in another of Raizen's descendants to Makai. There are still a few that would want to crown him King.” A bitter laugh erupted from him, if the kid was human than Koenma's dad wouldn't put a bounty on him. Hopefully Alexander would stay human...at least now King Enma no longer wanted him put down. “I have a little brother, that’s just too scary for words.”

Koenma shifted in his chair and looked tiredly at him. “Can you continue this?”

He put a hand to his forehead in a weary gesture. “You’re kidding. There’s more?” Brown eyes closed and a sigh was heard before Yusuke made his way back to his seat and sat back down. “Hit me with it.”

“Alexander may not stay a human.” Damn, figures. “The town he lives in, Sunnydale, sits on top of a Hellmouth.” Koenma rubbed his eyes tiredly.

Nothing was ever simple anymore. “Why doesn’t that sound good?” Yusuke grumbled. “Go on.”

Botan picked it up. “A Hellmouth is where the walls between dimensions are thinner and demons can cross over into the human realm.”

That made him stare at her in confusion as it didn't make sense. “Botan, there’s no real barrier between our realms now, you know that. Humans are wandering into the Makai all the time, that's why there are patrols to bring them back.”

She shook her head, almost as if she were disappointed that he wasn't keeping up. “There are more than just three realms Yusuke. There are so many dimensions, realities and universes that no one can count them all. Our three realms just ran so close together that they became one many eons ago, there was only a thin barrier between them until recently. They’ve always been connected, but a Hellmouth is different. It leads to a Hell Dimension that makes the Makai look like a big bowl of fluffy cotton candy!”

“Well fuck.” There was really no other comment to make. The Makai had some pretty rough territory to it that not even he dared go...well...not yet anyway.

“Exactly! It’s that bad, and nearly everything around the Hellmouth is tainted, and vampires and demons flock there, it’s like a drug to them.”

Yusuke looked at Koenma. “Where are the demons coming from? The Makai?”

Koenma shook his head. “They aren’t Makai demons, luckily, some are from other dimensions, but most are actually native to the human realm and because of that we usually can’t interfere.”

“What do you mean by luckily? And since when are there demons native to the human realm?”

“Eons ago the human realm was in fact a demon realm. Gradually that realm began to change, to evolve and the more powerful demons were pushed out by the change. Eventually all of the old ones, the purest of demons, were banished, whether it was humans, sorcerers or the gods is unclear even according to our information. However the weaker subspecies of demons survived and live in the shadows. What's lucky is that most of them are only as strong as D or E class. And a few might qualify as C class.” Koenma sighed. “But none of that is why you’re here.”

“Whoa. Thanks for history lesson that I didn't want.” He rolled his eyes at the glares both Botan and Koenma were giving him. “Right, so who is the voice in my head?”

Botan smiled gently, if a touch exasperated at him, the glare all but gone. “It’s Alexander. We have a theory as to how he's made contact with you. We're not one hundred percent certain about it, but it’s all we've got.”

“So what does this Hellmouth have to do with it?”

Koenma held up his hand, almost as if he could physically stop Yusuke's train of thought. “The Hellmouth isn’t for you to worry about, there’s already a champion there…although your brother can tell you more about the Hellmouth. He knows about demons and the like.” Koenma took a breath and plunged further, not sure Yusuke would want to do what he suggested. “If you want to go see him Botan can take you.”

“Seriously?” Yusuke looked thoughtful and sifted through the papers till he was looking the photo of his...brother, once more. “The kid looks like he’s been through a lot. I recognize the look in his eyes…bet living under the old man's roof isn't a lot of fun.” His own eyes shadowed before he could blink the darkness away. “Yeah, I’d like to meet him. Just let me talk to Keiko first. Gotta let her know I’ll be back, and that I’m not skipping out on her.” He tried not to shudder at that horrible thought.

Koenma nodded. “Of course, Botan?”

“I’ll be ready whenever you need me, just say the word Yusuke.”

Yusuke nodded. “Thanks.” Life just kept throwing him curve-balls, and he wasn't sure how to deal with this newest pitch. Guess he'd just have to roll with it.

xxx

“So that’s what’s going on.” Yusuke held his breath and tensed up; waiting for Keiko’s infamous and painful slap to make contact with his face. When nothing happened he dared to look at his fiancée, only to find her smirking at him.

“You’re not gonna hit me?” He blinked at her in confusion and just a touch of hope in his voice.

Her smirk changed to a knowing smile. “Do you want me to?”

“No, not really, but this is a complication and we have a wedding to plan and...I never saw this coming Keiko.”

“You’re an idiot, you know that right.”

He grinned at her. “So you’ve told me. Guilty as always.”

Keiko rolled her eyes at him before leaning forward to place a small kiss on his lips. She pulled away again and looked him in the eye. “It’s not a huge complication Yusuke; we have plenty of time to do what we want. You however need to go meet your little brother. I understand that, and I’ll stand by your decision to do this.” Her eyes sparkled. “Be sure to invite him to the wedding.”

Yusuke chuckled. “You sure? For all we know he could be just like me.”

There was a chiming noise as the door to the shop opened. “Who could be just like you?” Kuwabara asked as he entered the Yukimura store. “Surely not sweet Keiko-san.”

Hiei appeared from behind his lover. “Let’s hope not, she’s much more intelligent than the detective.”

“Indeed, Keiko is a wonderful conversationalist.” A third voice added as Kurama came in behind them and the three settled at the counter. Hiei actually curled up in Kuwabara’s lap, though he glared at Yusuke’s open mouth stare.

“Hoping to catch your dinner?”

Yusuke closed his mouth and snorted. “Whatever Hiei, just not used to seeing you act…like that.” Hiei made a rude gesture and Kuwabara snickered.

Kurama sighed and turned back to Keiko and Yusuke. “Who were you talking about, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Keiko smiled, and it was a tad mischievous. “Yusuke’s little brother.”

First there was silence, and then Kuwabara groaned. “Oh gods, there are two of Urameshi! The world is gonna end.”

“I doubt there being two Yusuke’s would actually cause an Apocalypse. No matter how terrifying the concept might seem.” Kurama smiled gently at Yusuke’s scowl, though his amusement was clear.

“Just what this realm needs another idiot.” That shot came from Hiei, who aimed a toothy grin at Yusuke.

“Ha ha, very funny. The kid’s name is actually Harris, Alexander. He lives in America; evidently with our dad, poor kid.” Yusuke grimaced. “Can’t imagine havin’ to put up with a guy that skipped out on one family and then made another.”

“So are you going to go meet him?” Kuwabara asked, wrapping an arm around Hiei’s narrow waist.

“Yeah, Botan’s gonna take me when I’m ready to go.” He laughed. “Keiko’s already decided he needs to come to the wedding.”

Keiko elbowed him. “Family is important Yusuke; don’t be so grim about it.”

He smiled at her. “I’ll try.”

“That’s the spirit Urameshi!”

“Where does your brother live exactly?” Kurama asked politely.

“Some small town in California called Sunnydale.” The wide-eyed stares he received from his three friends were almost enough to make him cackle. “Heard of it?”

“Boca del Inferno.” Kurama whispered. “Has he always lived there?”

“According to his file he has, in fact he’s already into the demon fighting gig, faced down a few vampires and everything.” Yusuke replied dryly.

“He’s human?” Hiei asked.

“Yeah.” Yusuke looked at Kuwabara who was pale and keeping a shaky grip on Hiei. “Kuwabara?”

“Sorry Urameshi. I’ve heard stories from other psychics. A Hellmouth is not a friendly place, just imagining a kid growing up there…well I can’t, not really. It kinda makes my brain hurt.” Hiei placed a chaste kiss on Kuwabara’s chin before glancing at Yusuke.

“He’s right; such a place is dark and filled with evil.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Keiko looked at him. “If it’s so dangerous, you could bring him back with you.”

Yusuke stared at her. “Keiko, you’re smarter than that, I can’t just take the kid. He has parents…and I haven’t even met him yet.”

“If one of those parents is the same man that left your mother to raise you alone…a man like that isn’t fit to raise a child.” Her eyes were filled with righteous anger that slowly bled out and she gripped his hand. “It’s just something to think about.”

He grinned and kissed the back of her hand. “I get it.”

xxx

Yusuke looked at the two story house that had definitely seen better days, and to think, this was only the outside. What could have once been white paint was gray and cracked; you could actually see it flaking off in the breeze. The grass in the yard was long in some places, short and mangled in others and half dead. There was a small concrete path that led to the front door, it too was cracked and eroding, in a few more years it would be nothing but gravel. He could already tell that he wasn’t going to like meeting Tony.

“Do you want me to stay?” Botan asked from behind him.

“Nah, it could get ugly. It would be better if you weren’t here to watch me kill dear old dad.” He’d meant it as a joke but Botan gave him a serious expression.

“I can help you hide the body; no one would ever find it.” A chill went through him.

“You’re scary sometimes Botan.” And then she was all smiles again.

“That’s what Mukuro tells me.”

He blinked at her. “I’m thinking that I don’t want to ask why you and Mukuro are hanging out.”

Another scary grin. “We’ve been involved for a while now.”

Yusuke gaped at his friend. “I so did not need to know that. I mean come on Botan; I’m still recovering from walking in on Kuwabara and Hiei at the Temple!”

“Oh hush, it wasn’t that traumatizing.” She snapped her fingers. “I forgot to get those pictures developed.”

“Okay, that’s it. This conversation is over, in fact it never happened. You need to leave so I can meet my little brother and possibly kill our old man.” Yusuke tried to push her back down the eroded concrete path.

Botan giggled. “I’m going, I’m going.” And with a swift step she was on her oar and in the air. “I’ll make a few rounds; see if anyone needs directions to Reikai.”

“Yeah, you do that.” He watched to make sure she was actually leaving before walking back to the house and finally knocking on the door.

“Wonder if school’s out yet?” He muttered to himself just before the door opened to reveal a rather plain woman in what looked like a nurse’s uniform.

“Yes?” She asked...in English which amazingly, he understood.

He'd have to thank Koenma for the translator that even now was in his ear. Wonderful bit of Reikai technology, even if he was a little worried about suddenly being able to understand and speak another language. Focus Yusuke, the lady is starting to freak.

“Um, I’m looking for Alexander. Is he home? It’s really important that I see him.”

Her tired green eyes narrowed at him warily. “Who are you?”

“It’s a long story Mrs. Harris.” He tried to smile at her. “My name is Yusuke Urameshi and I—“

Mrs. Harris gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes were wide and she looked like she was about to cry. After a second she lowered her hand and reached out to Yusuke and pulled him into a brief hug. Being pretty much shocked dumb he let her and managed to pat her shoulder. After a shuddered sob she pulled back and motioned him inside. It wasn’t a verbal invitation but it looked like it was all she could do at the moment.

He stepped inside and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dimness after she closed the door. The woman again motioned him to follow her and she led him to the living room and an old worn out couch.

They sat there in the musty room in silence for several moments before she spoke.

“You’re Tony’s first son.” She stated tiredly. “The one he left in Japan when he was kicked out of the Navy.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“He used to brag about it when he was drunk. How he had your mother wrapped around his finger like a piece of string. I know he left her with a child to raise on her own at sixteen of all things!” She faltered. “But…you may have lucked out on that. Tony isn't an easy man to live with.” Her eyes seemed to take him in, every detail and she nodded to herself. “You look so much like my Xander.” She gave him smile. “That’s how I knew you hadn’t met him. No one calls him Alexander. It’s always been Xander for him.” She looked closer at him. “There’s some differences, but the eyes, they’re the same.” Her voice changed, became softer, weary. “They’re the eyes of little boys who have seen too much.”

Yusuke frowned. “The booze never really makes things go away.”

She nodded. “But sometimes I just need to be numb.” A blush crept up her face suddenly. “Oh goodness, I haven’t even introduced myself!” A large smile graced her plain face and suddenly she was beautiful. “I’m Jessica. It’s nice to meet you Yusuke.”

Yusuke smiled. “Likewise Jessica.” He gave her a small bow and she giggled.

“Xander should be home early tonight. Tony is staying at his brother’s place, they’re probably still unconscious somewhere…but Xander should be home soon, unless he’s staying after with his friends.”

Yusuke held back a grimace and hoped that his brother wasn’t a nerd who was obsessed with grades. “Do you mind if I wait?”

“Not at all, in fact you can help me get started on dinner. And you can tell me all about Japan.”

“I’d like that.”

XXX


	2. Chapter 2

Demon’s Kin  
By: calikocat  
Word count: 4,628

XXX

“I must say Buffy that I cannot condone you’re falling asleep in class.” Giles said before muttering something about idiotic children not being able to shelve things properly. If children were going to go poking around his library they could at least put things back in their proper place.

“But it wasn’t my fault! One minute I’m taking notes in history, the next its Slayer Dream Drama complete with surround sound…all it needed was subtitles…or at least a plot line, because mystery and weirdness will only get you so far before the story is shot.” Buffy whined and threw in a pout for good measure.

Giles paused in his shelving duties, successfully ignoring the pout. “You were actually taking notes? Why do I find that rather hard to believe?”

Buffy did her best to look innocent. “Well…I was listening really, really hard. That’s sort of like taking notes, isn’t it?” Her tone was leaning toward righteous with a touch of hopeful ‘please don’t go there’.

He gave a tired sigh that was followed by, “In what way?” Giles looked at her pointedly, not buying the innocent act at all.

So of course Buffy did her Slayer-y duty and redirected her Watcher’s attention to her dream. “Look, that’s not the point! Here I am, trying to do the destiny thing and you’re upset because school got in the way. Giles I had a Slayer Dream that was like a freaky foreign film! Doesn’t that seem a little more important that my note taking?”

Just about that time Xander and Willow entered the library. “Buffy! My favorite Slayer! You wound my heart!” Xander shook his finger at her. “Have you been watching wacky and confusing Indian films without us?”

Willow crinkled her nose with a small grin. “Bad Buffy, bad.”

Giles moved further away from the stacks and proceeded down the steps with Buffy trailing behind. “Classes over already?”

A chorus of “Uh, yeah”; was the response.

“Very good, you can help me depict the meaning of Buffy’s newest Slayer dream.”

Willow in her ever readiness to help her friends practically bounced over to the table already going into research mode. Xander on the other hand walked slower and dragged his feet. Helping the Buffster with patrolling was one thing, helping to depict her dreams sounded like something better saved for a girly-girls slumber party. However he was never one to refuse a pretty girl so he prepared himself for the conversation ahead. Once everyone was settled Giles gave Buffy his attention.

“Now, start from the beginning.”

Buffy nodded. “Okay, so I was in History class, sort of taking notes, when all of a sudden I’m flying on the back of this huge blue bird. And I’ve never seen a bird that big before. It was bigger than car big, it was like tank big. And there was this guy with dark hair, I think he was Chinese or something, he wasn’t speaking English. He was really nice though, and kinda cute, but not really my type. But the weirdest part was that he had a picture of Xander with him.” She stopped and looked at Giles.

“And?” Giles asked.

“And what?”

“Was there anything else?”

“Nope…except I woke up with drool on my chin…not one of my better moments.”

Giles sent her a somewhat frustrated look. “Buffy.”

“What? That was it, general weirdness and confusion with a side effect of drool face.” Buffy tried to pout again, neither noticed how unusually silent Xander was being.

“So why does Mr. Foreign guy have a picture of Xander?” Willow asked, her voice was a little high and on the verge of becoming a squeak. She didn’t know what she’d do if something happened to her Xander-shaped friend.

“No idea, I’m just the receiver.” Buffy finally noticed Xander’s pale face and was suddenly worried. “It wasn’t a bad dream Xan. The guy was nice; I don’t think he’s a bad guy, kinda weird but hey we’re getting used to the weird. Right?”

Willow put her hand on Xander’s arm. “Xander?”

Xander shook his head and tried to get a grip on his emotions, not easy for a teenage boy who was fast becoming an expert at denial and repression. “I’m okay Willow. Really.” He gave her a small smile and took a deep breath.

“Xander? Are you sure you're alright?” His eyes widened in surprise. “Do you have something you need to tell us?” Giles asked, he kept his voice gentle, hoping to reassure the boy.

Xander nodded and took another calming breath. “My Dad. Sometimes when he’s drunk he likes to talk…well it’s more like bragging.”

Willow squeezed his arm and Buffy scooted closer to him. Willow had seen firsthand what Tony Harris was like when he was drunk, and had shared one such story with Buffy...not that Xander ever needed to know that. But Willow thought it necessary that Buffy be aware of such things so she could understand some of the things Xander did or said. Both girls shared a look as Xander gathered his thoughts and continued.

“So yeah, Dad drinks a lot so I’ve heard the story a lot. See, he was in the Navy back before he married Mom. And he was stationed in Japan for a while, right before he got a dishonorable discharge.” Xander blinked slowly and met Giles’ gaze. The Watcher felt a chill go through him and wondered, not for the first time, what the boy’s home life was like. “There was a girl, she was sixteen…and he got her pregnant. The bastard left her with a baby to raise.”

“That…that…ooh!” Was all Willow could get out; this was the first time she’d heard this story. She was a little hurt that she hadn’t heard it before, but she could understand why Xander felt the need to hide things.

Buffy nodded. “I agree with Willow, major nasty thing to do to a girl.”

Giles gave them all a kind, sad smile; they were all still children, though they went into the dark to protect others they were still shocked at how cruel one human could be toward another. “I as well. However I’d say it’s safe to assume, according to Buffy’s dream that Xander’s older brother is coming to see him.” His smile turned to a frown then. “However it doesn’t explain why she had the dream to begin with. A long lost brother is hardly a sign of the end of the world.”

Buffy kept a serious face as she said; “Oh, I don’t know. Having two Xander’s around could be pretty interesting. I mean he seems to attract the weird, look at what happened with the substitute and that whole hyena thing.”

Her comment made Giles turn an interesting green shade of green. “Dear lord, perhaps I should consult my books.”

“Hey, Xander is sitting right here!” Xander exclaimed with mock outrage.

“It’s okay; you’re still our friend, our special Xander-shaped friend that sometimes attracts wiggy things.” Willow giggled.

“Oh yes, I feel the love…in fact it stings a little.” Buffy smacked his arm. “Ow! Watch the Slayer strength Buff!” She stuck her tongue out at him and Giles cleaned his glasses to avoid the childish display, though he found it heartwarming.

“I suppose it shouldn’t be a matter to worry over.” Giles began. “However you all need to stay alert especially you Xander. We don’t know whether meeting your brother will necessarily be a good thing.”

“Yeah, because Dad is such a spiffy role model and respectable member of society. Gotcha. Big brother suddenly showing up; very, very suspicious.” Xander grinned and glanced at his watch. “We done?”

“I suppose…Buffy needs to stay for training.” He slipped his glasses back on.

“Going somewhere?” Willow asked Xander as they stood.

“Dad’s over at Uncle Rory’s, which means Mom is going to cook real food tonight.” Xander grinned.

“Yum, real food.” Buffy returned the grin.

“Oh yeah, it’s the best.” Xander’s expression changed to a thoughtful one all of a sudden. “Okay, what I don’t get, other than the Buffster dreaming about my Bro to begin with, is the giant bird. Why were you and my brother riding a big blue chicken?”

Silence reigned throughout the library as three sets of confused teenaged eyes landed on an equally lost Watcher.

“Why would I know that?”

They shared a look and grinned before Willow piped up. “Because you’re Giles.”

xxx

Sometimes when Xander was alone and walking the streets of Sunnydale, he felt like someone was with him... It didn’t happen very often, just every now and then. This was one of those times. The first time had been the night Jesse had died. After the accidental deed had been done he could have sworn that someone had held him as he’d cried himself to sleep that night. He had waved it off as a dream or just depression. Tonight he could feel eyes on him, but nothing was there…though every time he stopped to look around him he could have sworn he caught a flash of pink. It was weird.

Keeping an ear open for any possible danger he let his mind wander a bit. In addition to the feeling of being watched sometimes he would on occasion, feel like he had some sort of connection. Not to whatever was keeping an eye on him, but to something else, maybe even someone else.

Ever since getting possessed by the demonic primal hyena spirit and having his pack ripped away he’d been having strange dreams, some more vivid than others. He was always calling out to someone, but no one ever answered. Maybe he was just lonely. Sure he had Wills and Buffy, and Giles to an extent, but it wasn’t the same. When he had a pack it was almost like a blood connection, a family. Something he’d never really had before, except on his Mom’s good days. And now that it was gone…well it sucked. Really sucked, the kind of suck that you reserved for rainy days when you were sick with some sort of icky sickness with a dash of someone ran over your puppy. It was that kind of suck.

He sighed as he trudged across his front yard and tried to think happy thoughts. His dad wasn’t home tonight, which as he’d told the girls earlier meant his mom was going to actually cook tonight. This was cool, granted his mom was no culinary genius but she did okay when she wasn’t drunk. He’d learned long ago that anything she fixed while intoxicated was not fit for human consumption. Because eww.

He opened the front door, stepped inside and tilted his head to listen. His mom was in the kitchen but she wasn’t alone. She was talking to someone, and by the laugh he heard, it was a very male someone. Jessica was laughing back so it wasn’t his dad, and Xander let out a sigh of relief. But just as it passed through his lips he wondered who it could be. His mom didn’t have any guy friends; his dad would have thrown blunt objects at her if she had.

Cautiously he moved through the house until he got close enough to peek into the kitchen. His eyes nearly bugged out and he wondered what the heck his mom was thinking, having a guy that young in the house. The dark haired stranger couldn’t have been more than a few years older than him. And he prayed his dad didn’t decide to come home early, because the stranger was helping his mom set the table for three. It looked like mister looking for trouble was staying for dinner. Oh goody.

As he watched from his vantage point, his face peeking around the doorway he nearly fell back when the guy looked straight at him, as if he’d known all along that Xander had been there. Xander’s heart jumped in his throat, he wasn’t sure how he could tell, but he could feel something off about the guy. Vampire? Whatever it was he didn’t intend to leave his mom alone with him any longer. So with a deep and calming breath he stepped into the kitchen with a goofy Xander type smile plastered on his face.

“Hey Mom, I didn’t know we were having company.”

xxx

Yusuke had been talking with Jessica about normal things…which was kind of nice, the only person he ever seemed to be able to have a normal conversation with was Keiko. It was great to sometimes just push all the weird shit that was his life to the back of his mind and tell someone how great his friends were. What Keiko was like, and that he was a little nervous about getting married. The best part though was hearing about his little brother, and that the kid was not a brainiac, he’d let out a huge sigh of relief when Jessica had told him that Xander was into comic books rather than school books. The last thing he needed was Kuwabara teasing him because his kid brother was a bookworm.

But something was off about the things she said. Most of the things she talked about had happened when the kid was much younger. Then again it was possible that she didn’t know much about her son these days. His own mother was the same way…she still had no idea who his friends were, except Keiko of course.

He watched in interest as she prepared a simple almost-feast from boxes of mixes, which was more than his mom had ever done. With rapt attention he snickered at the tale she wove of his younger brother’s child hood with his best friends Jesse and Willow. When suddenly a blip surfaced on his radar, which was something of a surprise because his senses weren’t worth shit, as Kuwabara was always pointing out smugly. Yusuke could barely sense another life force until it was in his face and the owner was trying to kick his ass. And the weird vibes around the whole town weren’t making it any easier. So if he could sense something that meant it was way out there and begging for attention.

What came as a bigger surprise to him was that it was coming from the doorway of the kitchen. He started to look up indirectly so as not to draw too much attention to himself, but once he met brown eyes the exact shade as his own he paused completely. Those brown eyes saw a lot, and they were nearly cold as they took him in, as if they could see everything that he was and then some.

Suddenly the eyes changed and became almost jovial as the kid stepped into the kitchen, a ridiculous smile taking up his innocent face.

“Hey Mom, I didn’t know we were having company.”

The change nearly shook Yusuke to his very being and he shot a glance toward Jessica who looked up from the stove where she was turning the burners off. “Hey sweetie, you’re just in time.”

When Yusuke looked at the kid again he nearly fell on his ass at the sight of the huge puppy eyes the boy was flashing at Jessica.

“Food? Real food?” Xander asked. Yusuke just shook his head making a mental note to be wary of such an attack as he wasn’t sure he could refuse such a face.

Jessica however seemed to be made of sterner stuff and waved her son off. “Not until you wash your hands young man.”

And the kid was gone just like that, running for the bathroom. Yusuke looked at his hostess with a baffled expression.

Jessica smiled. “That boy, he’ll do just about anything for food.”

xxx

The meal had been something of a mundane affair. Jessica introduced Yusuke as family, though she gave Xander a very pointed look as she did, mentioning that Tony hadn’t met him having left Japan before the young man was born. Xander understood immediately, while not the genius that Willow was he got what Jessica was trying to say without so many words. Yusuke was the kid Tony left behind so many years ago.

Their conversation was relatively normal, with an edge of curiosity and what Xander feared would be a confrontation. He really hoped Yusuke didn’t want to meet dear old Dad. That would be a show down Xander could live happily without seeing…ever.

All too soon supper was over and Yusuke was praising Jessica’s skill, swearing up and down that his Mom didn’t even know how to use a microwave.

“That’s really sweet of you Yusuke.” She smiled warmly under the older boy’s praise. “Now I’m sure you and Xander would like to talk in private now.” She gave her son a reassuring glance. “Xander, why don’t you take Yusuke up to your room, I’m sure the two of you will have plenty to talk about.” Xander almost broke out the puppy eyes again when she intercepted him. “When I’m done cleaning up I’ll make some hot chocolate.” She held her breath, hoping the bribe would work. While her boy would do just about anything for food, he was always a sucker for chocolate…but there was a first for everything.

Xander caved like a house of cards. “Sure thing.” He shot a smile at Yusuke. “Mom makes the best hot chocolate.”

Quickly Jessica rebuffed their offers to help clean up and sent them off to Xander’s room. As they left the kitchen she sent up a silent prayer to whatever kind being was listening that the two of them found some common ground to bond over. Even if it was only over the lack of humanity Tony Harris was capable of.

xxx

Xander led Yusuke into his sanctuary, not that it was much of one, just because vampires couldn’t come in didn’t mean other evil monsters couldn’t…like Tony. Unconsciously he took in his messy room; everything looked as it had that morning when he’d left. “Sorry about the mess.” Not that he was, not really, he was just doing the polite thing, which meant he needed to find a place for Yusuke to sit. Again he glanced around and waved his brother…oh god a brother…in the general direction of a bright red bean bag chair.

Yusuke eyed the mess which wasn’t really all that bad, at least not if you’d grown up with Atsuko Urameshi as a mom. At least the piles of clothes in the kid’s room looked clean. He nodded at Xander’s motion and sat in the bag chair, which was surprisingly comfy. Xander, he noticed sat on the bed with his back to the wall, his hand disappearing under the pillows for just a second as if searching for something. He raised an eyebrow in question but Xander just smiled.

Yusuke cleared his throat. “So…you’re mom didn’t really go into any details about how we’re family.” He paused. “Ya see it’s like this—“

Xander's smile disappeared as if he'd only imagined the kid's smiling face. “I know who you are. The question is; why did big brother decide to come looking for me after all this time?”

Yusuke felt his jaw drop in shock. If he thought Xander's eyes had looked cold earlier when they first saw one another they were frigid now...and calculating. As if Xander was waiting for something...like an attack.

“You gonna breath anytime soon?”

Yusuke snapped his jaw shut. “How’d the hell you know who I was?”

Xander shrugged. “Mom was doing the cryptic silent message with the eyes thing. We’ve just about got it mastered into a language all by itself. It comes in handy when the old man’s raging around the house and throwing stuff at us. And it makes getting out of the way easier.”

He frowned...so Tony was a mean drunk...that might explain part of the kid’s attitude. “There’s no way she could have told you that just by looking at you.”

“No. But dear old dad likes to brag when he’s drunk. He’s drunk a lot so we got to hear about how he left your mom back in the day. So all my mom had to do was say the right words and do the eye thing.”

Yusuke looked at Xander curiously. “Okay, yeah.” He relaxed some. “Jessica did mention the old man bragging. Sorry I freaked.”

“It's understandable. Now, next question. What are you?”

Yusuke stiffened; his body rigid once more. “What?”

Xander continued, his tone staying indifferent, his eyes growing colder. “I’ve seen a few weird things here on the Hellmouth. And while you don’t feel like a vampire you kind of give me the wiggins.”

“Wiggins?” Was all Yusuke could get out.

“Yeah, as in freakage, you give off some weird vibes dude.” Xander narrowed his eyes at his older brother. “So?”

“It’s a long story kid. But well…I’m a demon.” Yusuke glanced at Xander who looked thoughtful. If you could call wide-eyed and what looked like a minor panic attack thoughtful, but he managed to relax a bit as he hadn’t been hurt so far.

“Since you ate dinner with us I guess you don’t eat humans? And you don’t bite heads off either?”

“Why would I bite your head off?” Yusuke looked confused and Xander waved it away like it was nothing.

“There was a thing with a Praying Mantis Lady. She liked to bite guys’ heads off after...during…well that part’s not important. But yeah, weirdness abounds here in Sunnydale. Anyway, what kind of demon are you? And I was serious about the eating people thing.”

Yusuke rolled his eyes. “I don’t eat people, my fiancée would clobber me for even thinking about it, which I don’t…cause ya know she’s human.”

“Huh. A human and a demon…who’d have guessed. Congratulations by the way.”

“Yeah…anyway I’m a Mazoku. It’s this type of demon from the Makai.” Xander gave him a blank stare. “Look there’s these three realms right? Human, spirit and demon; they ran really close together with a thin barrier between them for thousands and thousands of years probably even longer. A few years back part of the barrier came down and the human and demon realm are one realm now. But the demons of the Makai are forbidden to kill humans and the boundaries are patrolled regularly.”

“And that has what to do with you being one of those demons?” Xander asked; he was very proud of himself for keeping calm, though he had come close to panicking at least once.

“Another long story, but it ends with me turning into a demon and meeting our ancestor Raizen, one of the strongest Mazoku ever and inheriting his lands in the Makai, he’s dead now, and I ended up as one of the three Kings of Makai. Except now there's only one King.”

“So…let me get this straight…you used to be human?”

“Yeah.”

Xander took a deep breath and tried not to hyperventilate. “So what changed?”

“I died, came back to life, trained hard and worked for the Prince of the Spirit realm keeping demons in line and protecting humans from them. After a year or so there was a showdown with a crazy man and I died again. Only I came back because our demon heritage gave me a jump-start.”

Screw it, I’m freaking now. Xander thought as he gazed at his brother. “What do you mean our demon heritage?”

“It seems Raizen’s genes come from old man Harris.” He waited for that to sink in before going on. “So there’s a chance that—“

“That my own freak-dom could get worse. Geeze, it’s not enough that Praying Mantis Lady tried to take a bite out of me…or that Primal had to possess me! Now I find out that I could somehow end up a demon! Uggh! This really sucks! Even for my life!”

Yusuke snickered. “I think you’re overreacting kid. You’re still completely human.”

“Yeah…but it’s the Hellmouth and with my luck…I’m just gonna stop there, no need to jinx myself.” Xander took several calming breaths. “So…is being a d-demon any different than being human…and aren’t you like evil and stuff?”

“I’m not evil. I’ve always been something of a punk, bit of a badass actually. Used to beat kids up for looking at me weird…why are you looking at me weird?”

“I’m wondering how the heck we can be related, cause I was the kind of kid that got beat up for being weird.” Xander grumbled.

“Trust me we are. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

“Why exactly are you? Here I mean? Did you just decide to track Tony down all of a sudden?” Xander asked.

“Well I’ve been hearing a voice in my head. You’re voice.” Yusuke said.

“Huh.”

“Yeah, so I went to my friend Koenma, the Prince of the Spirit Realm and asked him what the hell was goin’ on.” Yusuke looked pointedly at Xander, glad that the kid wasn't glaring at him any longer. “It all goes back to that possession you went through. Koenma said that it brought a little bit of your demon genes through, just enough to sense a blood connection or the presence of anything from the Makai. And since we have that blood connection I’ve been hearing you.”

“Oops.” Xander looked sheepish. “Sorry, it was just hard ya know. Having a pack was nice…except for the part where we ate the school mascot. Don’t look at me like that; it was a pig in a razor back costume. I’m just glad I was unconscious and in a cage when the other possessed kids ate Principle Flutie.” Xander shuddered. “But the pack, we were almost one being sometimes, really close and when the spell ended I was alone again. I didn’t know how to handle it so…I guess my thoughts were a little loud.”

“Kid, I heard you all the way in Japan.”

“Like I said…oops.” Xander looked worried for a moment. “So…now what? I’m not sure I should introduce you to my friends…Buffy might try to slay you, if your demon-ness wigs me Buffy will definitely feel it. Willow might freak out if I tell her you’re a demon. Buffy’s Watcher might not have heard of Makai demons so no introductions there either. Any suggestions brother of mine?”

“Well…Keiko, my fiancée, wants you to come to our wedding.” Yusuke gave his younger brother a huge grin. “It could be interesting, best friend of the slayer going to a wedding with a bunch of demons.”

Xander stared at him like he’d grown an extra head. “I think I see the family resemblance now. Does insanity run in the family? Was that Raizen guy crazy as a loon? Also I meant ideas for the here and now.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“I’ll think about it.” Xander muttered as he glanced at his alarm clock. “So…you’ve got like super powers right?”

“You could say that.” Yusuke looked puzzled.

“Wanna patrol the Hellmouth with me? Buffy’s training with her Watcher tonight and won’t patrol till later.”

“Patrol? What exactly are you looking for?”

“Nothing much, just trying to keep the vamp population down. Fewer vamps mean fewer people go missing. And I’m all for fewer missing persons.”

“You patrol often?”

“Only since I learned what was really out there. I only go after the vamps, and leave the big bads to Buffy. So what’dya say? Wanna make sure I don’t get killed?” Xander flashed his puppy eyes at Yusuke and the older boy groaned.

“I was wondering when you’d use those on me.”

XXX


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’ve noticed that throughout the series we’re only given the names of two of the twelve or so cemeteries…so I made up a few. Wilkins’ Memorial Cemetery is one of them.

Demon’s Kin  
By: calikocat  
Word count: 4246

XXX

The clang of swords rang throughout the library as Watcher and Slayer went back and forth in the open floor space. Giles kept his face straight, so as not to distract his pupil with his, as she called it, teacher face. He had to admit, if only to himself that her training was coming along nicely. As a slayer she had a natural instinct when it came to fighting, with or without weapons. However she tended to prefer a simple stake as her weapon of choice. Which was why they were practicing with swords tonight, she needed to be prepared in case something stake-proof, as the children would say; was drawn to the Hellmouth.

She was a thing of beauty as she attacked him, but it was cocky and tinged with carelessness. Something that could snuff out her life one day, something that Giles feared more than his own demise. He tried not to sigh in regret as Buffy took a chance and swung her sword at an angle, trying to catch him off guard. He side-stepped her attack and moved into the opening she’d left and caught her with his sword at the back of her neck. Both froze.

She blinked in surprise and looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Oops.”

“Buffy, in battle your opponent isn’t going to give you time to say oops.” Giles sighed and they stepped apart. “We’ll continue with swords later.”

“Are we done for the night?”

“Hardly. You told your mother that I was going to help you study for Monday’s English exam.”

“But-“

Giles held up a hand. “However, you may go into the commons to procure refreshments for yourself.”

She beamed at him. “Yay!” Quickly she put their swords away and skipped towards the Library doors. “Thanks Giles!”

He waved in her general direction before heading into his office for a cup of tea. Relaxed and pleasantly tired from his work out with Buffy he was intent on enjoying the quiet before having to suffer through his charge’s butchering of his native tongue.

As he leaned back in his chair and took a sip of the calming beverage that was his second security blanket a woman in a pink kimono flew through the opposite wall on an oar. His beloved tea went spewing from his lips and the woman dodged the spray easily, giggling at his expense.

“Hello Ripper!”

Giles sighed and mopped up the tea with his handkerchief. “Don't call me that...and must you pop in unexpectedly like that? If I didn’t know better I’d think you were raised in this god-forsaken country; with the lack of mannerisms that you tend to show from time to time.”

Botan smiled sweetly at him. “You’re just upset because I made you spit your tea out. Which while childish is still much fun.”

“I rue the day you became top spirit guide with unlimited freedom to travel between the three realms. Now, what in this realm do you think you’re doing? You know I have a Slayer now and you only very nearly missed her.” Giles tried to glare at her but found it rather hard to do so. It was always hard to stay mad at someone so bubbly and happy…no matter how he might try.

“Oh please! I’m not as careless as that, I waited till she was gone.”

“But she is coming back.”

“I know but I was in the neighborhood and needed to see you.” Her amethyst eyes were still twinkling in merriment but now they held a serious undertone. One that made him pause with curiosity, and a bit of caution. When Botan got serious it was always best to listen.

“I should have known this wouldn’t be a social call, all the more reason you should have used the bloody door.”

Botan pouted at him prettily. “Maybe I just wanted to see my favorite Watcher? We haven’t had a chat and a nice cup of tea in months, not since before you left England.”

Giles tried not to roll his eyes as he reached for another tea cup and poured her some British nectar. “Have a seat then, though I know you better than that. I also know, for all your flirting that you and Mukuro are currently involved and have been for a while.”

Reikai’s top Ferry Girl blinked at him curiously. “Someday Rupert I will find out who you get your information from. I know I’m not your only contact for the happenings in Reikai and Makai.” She smiled kindly and Giles relaxed, sensing they were getting down to business. He handed her the tea and settled back with his own. She remained perched on her oar as it hovered in the air.

“Well? Why are you here?”

“It’s nice to see you too old friend, I hadn’t heard from you in so long that I was beginning to wonder if you’d fallen through a portal into the world without shrimp.”

Giles stopped mid sip. “It’s nice to see you as well, but we both know that, as I said before, this isn’t just a social call…there’s a world without shrimp?”

“Yep. But you’re right that I’m not here just to chat, though we should do that more often. I’m here to represent a friend who is connected to one of the children you look after, or at least I am in the sense that he doesn’t know I’m here talking to you. But I’ll track him down in a bit and tell him what I’ve done.”

“Meddling are you?”

“Not at all Rupert.”

“You mentioned the children I believe.” The mildly mannered librarian let his voice grow a bit colder, giving it a sharper edge as he narrowed his eyes at the tiny woman, who despite her youthful appearance had been around for several centuries.

“Don’t make Ripper eyes at me old friend, not unless you want to explain to your Slayer why you’re unconscious on the floor when she returns.” Giles just glared at her, becoming ever more Ripperish by the second. Botan calmly sipped her tea. “I’m here to talk to you about Xander.”

Good lord, first Buffy has a slayer dream regarding the boy's kin and now Botan shows up to speak of him...what next? “What about him?”

“Nothing bad, in fact I only have good news tonight.”

“You said you’re here representing a friend. What friend?”

“Xander’s older brother.”

Of course she was...wait... “Good Lord. If Xander’s brother is a friend of yours…just who is he?”

“You don’t seem very surprised that the boy has a brother…why is that exactly?” Botan paused in thought.

“Oh, that. Buffy had a slayer dream regarding them.” He waved her off, motioning her to get back on topic. “Who is Xander’s brother?”

“Yusuke Urameshi, formerly one of the three Lords of Makai, and Raizen’s heir.”

Giles suddenly felt horribly out of his depth as he put his tea down and reached for his glasses to polish them thoroughly. “It’s just never simple is it.” He sighed and returned them to his face. “What sort of danger does this put the boy in?”

“Why would it put him in danger? Raizen didn't have any enemies, not as such anyway. In fact once it’s known to all in Reikai and Makai that Lord Yusuke has a younger brother Xander will be off limits to all.” Botan smiled as she calmly took another sip of tea.

“That is rather good news. But what about the Hellmouth and demons who are not of the Makai? Will it deter them?” Giles reached for his own tea, keeping an ear open for the sound of Buffy’s return.

“Well...I don't know. Hellmouths are screwy that way. I don't know Yusuke's plans are in that regard. Knowing him, he probably isn't even thinking about that. Anyway, the demons that stay in this realm are, for the most part, not as strong as Makai demons. And while they may not make a move to hurt the boy, some might not care at all.” Botan smiled a little sadly. “And if some power in this realm decided to eliminate Xander as a possible threat, him also being a descendant of Raizen, well, there’s nothing Reikai could do about it.”

“What good are you lot then?” Giles muttered darkly.

“I said Reikai couldn’t do anything Rupert.” She winked at him. “We certainly can’t stop certain powerful individuals from stepping in can we? Have to keep the peace between the three Realms.”

His interest piqued he put down his now empty tea cup. “What sort of individuals?”

“Yusuke for starts.”

“Does he even know the boy exists?”

“They’re having a nice chat now.”

“Meaning?”

“They’re patrolling the older cemeteries of Sunnydale. Yusuke came to do this you know, not patrol, but to meet his little brother. He’s been hearing Xander call out to him for a while now.”

“Calling out? How exactly was Xander calling out?”

“We weren't sure how it happened at first, but after a little research we discovered the cause. I believe he was possessed a while back?” Botan held her cup out and Giles absently refilled it.

“Yes, a primal hyena of a demonic nature took hold of him for a couple of days or so.”

“Well, it kick started some of his demon heritage.” She noticed Giles' eyes start to widen and she hurried to reassure him. “Not enough to make him Mazoku, but enough to call out for blood kin, left over from the hyena thing you understand. He was calling out for pack as it were. Yusuke heard the call in Japan and thought he was going crazy because of the voice in his head.” She snickered.

“Is there a chance that he could turn?” Giles asked, somewhat worriedly, for he wasn’t quite sure how Buffy would react to one of her friends turning into a demon.

“Rupert, Yusuke didn’t turn until after he’d died a second time.” He looked at her sharply. “And it hasn’t even changed his personality. He’s still a street smart punk with a pretty girlfriend who can knock him across the room if he does something stupid…wait they’re engaged now, make that fiancée, and she’s human. So Xander shouldn’t change. Right now all he should be able to do is recognize blood kin and things from the Makai. Nothing more than that.”

“That’s something then. Now about these other individuals-“

Botan handed him her teacup and leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead then drew back with a giggle. “Sorry to leave so suddenly Ripper, but your Slayer is here.” She waved at him and flew through the ceiling.

“I hate it when she does that.” He muttered just as Buffy walked into the library, arms laden with snacks from the machines in the commons.

“You say something Giles?”

“I was just bracing myself for the slaughter of my Mother Language.” He called back to her.

“Real funny Watcher-man.”

xxx

Normally on a night like this Wilkins Memorial Cemetery saw little action, it being one of the oldest cemeteries in Sunnydale. However a few new plots had opened up so Xander had taken it upon himself to patrol the grounds every now and then. He was cautious as always; more so since the hyena possession, which made him a bit more aware of his surroundings.

Yusuke watched his younger brother with amusement and some curiosity. Sometimes the kid moved like a predator, sometimes he moved like a clown. It was hard to decide which part was the real Xander, or perhaps they both were and the boy was having trouble meshing himself together. Considering the possession it almost made a sort of sense, in a way that was probably relative on the Hellmouth. Before he was able to comment on it though something moved to their left, a rather fast something as it tackled Xander to the ground. Xander however seemed to be somewhat ready for it and after a bit of rolling around on the ground between statues of mourning marble angels the kid rammed a piece of pointed wood into his opponent’s heart. As he lay still to catch his breath Yusuke walked over and nudged him with a sneaker.

“Your technique sucks.”

Xander glared at him. “See, that’s why I brought you along Mr. Super Demon Guy.”

“Can I help it if the dead things rather jump you than me?” Yusuke asked grinning.

“That sounds so wrong on so many levels.” Xander muttered as he accepted Yusuke’s hand and together they got him to his feet again. “Here’s an idea, next time a vamp tries to munch on me you can help.”

“Help you get eaten? From what I’ve seen you can do that all by yourself.”

“Ha ha. Big brother makes a funny, stupid blue chicken riding guy.”

An image of Pu flashed in Yusuke’s mind. “How do you know about Pu?”

Xander snickered, but it soon turned into all out laughter. “You named your big blue chicken Pu?” He was laughing so hard he nearly fell back to the ground and had to lean on a headstone to remain standing.

It was Yusuke’s turn to glare. “First of all I didn't name him, Keiko did. Second, that’s the sound he made when he was little. And you didn’t answer my question.”

Xander steadied himself and choked down his laughter. “Buffy, she had a dream and the two of you were riding Pu;” snicker “and in the dream you had a picture of me.”

“Weird.”

“Tell me about it, you were riding Pu.” More semi-quiet snickers continued as they walked further into the cemetery.

“You can quit now.”

Xander grinned. “But it’s just so funny.”

“You want to learn a few moves or not?”

“I thought I was doing okay.”

“For a mid-night snack maybe.”

Xander pouted. “No need to get mean.”

Yusuke rolled his eyes and dropped an arm around the younger boy’s shoulders. “Don’t use the puppy eyes again. I just thought I’d show you a couple of moves to go with that weird ‘I am bait that hunts the night’ thing you’ve got going on.”

“I don’t hunt, I patrol.”

“Whatever, you wanna learn a few moves or not?”

“Yes Big Brother.”

“Quit that.”

“Yes Big Bro-I mean, sure thing Yusuke.” Xander grinned at him again. “So…moves?”

They separated and Yusuke put his body into a stance that was similar to what Buffy would do before a fight, but somehow it looked sharper, less open to attack. Xander took in the position carefully, trying to catalog it for future use as he watched Yusuke throw a few punches and kicks.

He was so intent in his watching that he almost missed the vampire coming up behind him. But he heard the crunch of a broken twig in time to move, and had just moved to the side when a flash of blue light hit the vampire and disintegrated the Fledge.

Xander looked at the pile of dust before turning back to Yusuke. “You’ve so got to teach me that.”

Yusuke looked sheepish. “I uh…I’m not really sure how it works. I just do it, ya know?”

“Aww. That sucks.”

“So, you wanna try what I just showed ya?”

They worked on Xander’s stance for a bit and to Yusuke’s surprise the kid did okay, for someone with absolutely no training in any way. Xander threw another punch and Yusuke blocked it easily. He really didn’t feel cut out for this teaching thing. So he did the brotherly thing and backed off with a question to distract Xander.

“You gonna introduce me to your friends?”

“Uh, what part of Buffy might try to slay you did you not get?” Xander got the hint and started walking again, Yusuke followed.

“You have other friends.”

“Just Willow now.”

“Sorry, I heard about Jesse.”

Xander stopped and his eyes grew hard, his entire demeanor changing. It creeped him out and made Yusuke shiver that the kid could flip the switch on his emotions so fast, hell If he were a normal person he’d be shaking in his sneakers. “How do you know about Jesse?”

“Well…Botan told me about him.”

“Botan is?”

Yusuke grinned and it was slightly crazy looking. “Behind you.”

“What?!” Xander whirled, slightly panicked that something else had managed to sneak up on him, and a little pissed that Yusuke mentioned it so casually. However when he saw the flash of pink he relaxed, the color was familiar, and now for the first time he saw the comforting presence that he sometimes felt around him. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her carefully and curiously. “I know you…kind of?”

Botan smiled down at them from where she sat on her oar in mid air. “You could say that. But it’s good to finally introduce myself. I’m Botan, the top Spirit Guide of Reikai.”

“Spirit Guide?” Xander glanced back at Yusuke, trying to keep Botan in sight at the same time.

“Grim Reaper.” Was the older boy’s reply.

“Huh.” He focused on the pretty girl. “So this is what death looks like…and people are afraid to die, why?”

Botan giggled and floated low enough to slide off her oar and make it vanish. “You could learn something in manners from him Yusuke. Keiko might like the improvement.”

“Right, I don’t think so.” Yusuke glared at her. “Time to go already?”

“Only if you want to Yusuke; I just wanted you two to know that Rupert knows.” She smiled mischievously at them.

“Who?” Yusuke asked.

“You know Giles?” Xander’s eyes nearly bugged. “Aww, the British Guy is keeping secrets from us! He’s met death and survived!”

“Who?” Yusuke repeated somewhat annoyed.

“Buffy’s Watcher.” Botan continued to smile at them. “Rupert and I go back.”

Xander shook his head and shuddered slightly. “I need to stop my brain now…it’s trying to bring up icky images.” He grumbled before what he’d heard made some sort of sense. “Wait…you told Giles about Yusuke and the demon thing? Oh man, is he gonna sic Buffy on us?” He started to flash his puppy eyes on her but Yusuke managed to cover them.

“Relax kid.”

“Not a kid, teenager here!” Xander complained from behind Yusuke’s hand.

“Botan was I this annoying when we met?”

“Oh you were much worse.” She giggled at Yusuke’s sour expression. “No worries Xander, Rupert was very understanding about everything, after I assured him that you’d be in no additional danger.”

Xander moved Yusuke’s hand away from his eyes and looked at her, the edges of panic plain on his face. “Danger? I no likey the danger. Especially not when I'm in it.”

“Nothing more than what you face here on the Hellmouth. Being Yusuke’s brother protects you from anything Makai related.” She smiled kindly. “Actually if you throw Raizen’s name into the mix Makai demons will go out of their way to avoid you, even though he passed away nearly three years ago.”

“Wow…”

Yusuke nodded. “The old man could scare the pants off of most people if he wanted too.”

“He could.” Botan agreed. “I’m heading back now Yusuke, but I can come get you in a couple of days if you want to stay?”

“That’s fine, just tell Keiko. I don’t want her to bash my head in for being gone without a good reason.” He looked at Xander’s odd expression; it almost looked like dawning horror. “What?”

“Your fiancée is that scary?”

“She can be.”

Xander shook his head in mock sorrow. “I can definitely see it now, we are so related.” At Yusuke’s baffled expression he continued. “We’re both attracted to females that are scary and violent.”

Yusuke rolled his eyes and lightly smacked the back of Xander’s head. “Shut up.”

Xander laughed and stuck his tongue out, barely dodging the next soft blow. Botan shook her head and waved before flying off, leaving the brothers behind her.

xxx

Yusuke smiled in amusement as his little brother rambled on and on about his friends, and the man he looked up too instead of their dad. The kid could go on for hours if he went unchecked, and Yusuke wondered how Xander had turned out so well. It was obvious that neither Jessica nor Xander were overly fond of Tony, and he considered more than once taking them back to Japan with him. At least he had before he’d heard the kid talk about his friends. Here was this goofy kid that lived on top of the mouth of hell and acted like he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Sunnydale was Xander’s home and Yusuke figured he might offer them a way out but he didn’t expect either of them to take it.

Then there was the other side of Xander, the darker side. And though Xander was human and Yusuke was a demon, he had no doubt that Xander could be dangerous. Whether that darkness was always there or a was left behind by the hyena he didn't know. Hell maybe the kid needed that dark side to survive in a place like this...or in the same house as their dad. But the look he got in his eyes when Jesse was mentioned, or when he thought someone important to him was being threatened...those looks scared him.

“Yo, you with me?” Xander asked, snapping Yusuke out of his thoughts.

“Sure kid.”

“Not a-” Xander yawned mid-sentence “kid.”

“Right, get some sleep Xander, if Keiko ever found out I was keeping you up on a school night she’d smack me across the room.” At Xander’s expression he laughed. “Out of all the demons and crazy people I’ve gone up against, Keiko on a rampage is the scariest thing of all.”

“Right, so I shouldn’t mention this part of our conversation in her presence…ever.” Xander grinned.

“That would be the smart thing to do.”

They talked some more, or rather Xander talked for a few more minutes until he’d fallen asleep. And Yusuke, as carefully and quietly as he could moved from the air mattress and sleeping bag they’d set up for him and pulled the cover’s up to Xander’s chin and ruffled the boy’s hair slightly. For all the things Xander was...he was just sixteen.

“Night kid.” Xander snuggled deeper into the covers and sighed in his sleep. Yusuke stared at his little brother for a moment longer before moving back to the air mattress, he settled down and brought his communicator into view and opened it up. He pushed a button and few seconds later Botan appeared on the small screen.

“Yusuke, can this wait? I just got back to Mukuro's castle.” Her small image sent him a hopeful glance and batted her lashes at him.

“No it can’t. I need to know what you told that Giles guy.”

She sighed. “You don’t have to worry about it; Rupert is an old friend, one I trust.” Yusuke glared at her. “Fine. I told him who Xander’s brother was. Everyone who knows they’re way around demons and the supernatural knows who you are Yusuke. You’re like a celebrity.” Yusuke glared daggers at her through the communicator. “And I told Giles that because of his hyena possession Xander can sense blood kin and other beings from the Makai. And that Xander is in no more danger than he already is living on the Hellmouth.”

“Geeze Botan, way to keep secrets.” Yusuke grumbled.

“Look, go with Xander tomorrow, walk him to school or something and introduce yourself to Rupert. Honestly Yusuke what do you think the spare communicators were for?”

Yusuke rolled his eyes. “Just give me a heads up before you do something like that again.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Fine, can I go now?”

“You just want to get back to Mukuro’s bed.” Yusuke grinned at her image.

“Well of course, wouldn’t you?” She smirked at him and it looked vaguely out of her place on her normally innocent face.

Yusuke shook his head and closed the communicator. “You think after walking in on Kuwabara and Hiei I’d learn my lesson, but no, I have to tease Botan about Mukuro.” He grumbled at himself a bit more before settling on the air mattress for the remainder of the night.

Over on the bed, Xander, feigning sleep, smiled as a feeling of warmth and contentment that he hadn’t felt in a long time stole over him.

XXX


	4. Chapter 4

Demon’s Kin  
By: calikocat  
Word count: 5,225

XXX

Xander wasn't really sure how he felt about having a brother...or about having demon blood. Especially the demon part. It was all so...more twilight zone than usual that was for sure. But he decided he'd play it by ear. So far he and Yusuke got along, whether that would last...who knew. Either way he could adapt, it was something he was good at...adapt and survive.

He shook away the serious thoughts and bumped Yusuke's arm lightly. “So what are you gonna do while I’m in school? Hey I have an idea; I could skip school and show you all the places the demons hang out around town.” Xander flashed hopeful eyes at Yusuke who looked away just in time.

He did give a small groan. “I told you to quit with the puppy eyes Xander, and by the way, that’s a bad idea. If Keiko ever found out she’d throw me through a window; a closed window.”

Xander pouted but kept walking beside Yusuke. “Which part was the bad idea? The skipping school part or the demon hangout part?”

“The skipping school part...how do you know where the demon hangouts are?”

“Sunnydale isn't that big, odds are I could find them no problem.”

“That is not comforting. And no to both. You're going to school.”

“You sure? Final offer.”

“Yes I’m sure. I don’t like flying through closed windows.” Yusuke smirked at his brother. “I’ll probably wander around a bit, check out American small town life.”

“Yeah, boring adult stuff thy name is Yusuke.” Yusuke elbowed him. “Oww! Remember, I’m still a fragile human here.”

“I remember, and I didn’t even hit you hard.” He smiled at Xander’s scowl.

The scowl melted away and was replaced with a look of resignation “We’d better split up soon, don’t want Buffy to see you and go into manic slayer mode. It would suck to suddenly be an only child again, I was just getting used to the idea of an older brother. Someone who would take me to ball games, play catch…someone to beat up the bullies who took my lunch money back in fifth grade.”

“Brat.”

“Yeah, but I’m the cute one.” Xander batted his lashes and narrowly avoided getting smacked in the back of the head. He stuck his tongue out at Yusuke and dashed away. “See ya after school bro!”

Yusuke laughed and waved until Xander disappeared into the throng of students headed into the school. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, trying to get a feel for the Hellmouth. His abilities in that department sucked as always, but he could feel the pull. It was a lazy thing, almost as if it was a living consciousness that wasn’t really awake or aware of its surroundings. It almost had a nasty feeling of oil clinging to the skin. Yusuke shook himself and proceeded to the edge of the school grounds. The crowd had lessened considerably, so he decided to take a chance and venture inside.

Inside, kids were disappearing into classrooms on either side of the hall. It made him flash back for a moment to junior high, not that the kids here wore uniforms like he had, but the bustle was somewhat familiar.

He felt eyes on him and turned to see a tall brunette walking past him as she gave him a good look. She was pretty and he nodded at her, acknowledging her before he moved on. Pretty she might be, but he was taken, and he didn’t feel like dying a third time. Yusuke continued to wander, hoping to come across the library when he nearly ran over a short balding man.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” The man glared up at Yusuke, no fear present in his features, his beady eyes showed only contempt.

“Nah, I’m not a student.”

“Then what are you doing in my school?”

“Your school?”

“I’m Principal Snyder.” The idiot had nothing in the way of survival instincts.

Yusuke smirked. “Good for you Shorty. So, where can I find the Library? I’m looking for Giles.”

“The Librarian, I should have known. He keeps the strangest company.” Snyder sneered. “You can’t see him. If he wants to entertain guests he can do so outside my school, not inside.”

Yusuke fixed his gaze on the small man. “Listen you midget ogre, I’m here to see Giles.” He pointed a finger at the principal and let a little bit of his spirit energy collect into a ball at the tip. “Now tell me, which way to the library?”

Snyder made a choking noise and pointed the way Yusuke had been walking. “Go straight then turn left. Library is a few doors down on the right.” He trembled as Yusuke pointed his finger up and let the energy dissipate.

“Thanks.” He started to walk past Snyder when he had a thought. “So tell me Snyder, you this harsh on the kids here?”

“Y-yes. Children are evil little menaces that need strict guidance.”

“Thought you’d say something like that, just your luck that my little brother is a student here huh?” Yusuke walked away, leaving a stricken Snyder behind him, the little man looked very pale and unhealthy, and almost as if he was in pain.

He found the library easily enough and pushed one of the swinging doors aside, hoping that the slayer was in class and not visiting her watcher. It seemed luck was on his side because the only living soul he saw was a man that looked to be in his mid thirties. He was dressed very properly in a stiff looking suit and was going through some very, very old books that looked like they were bound in ancient leather…or some other material that Yusuke didn’t want to look too closely at.

“Rupert Giles?”

The man jumped, startled, and looked up only to drop the book he was holding. Luckily it fell to the table and not the floor. “Good Lord…y-you must be Yusuke, Xander’s older brother!”

He shot a smile at the older man. “Is it that obvious?”

“Well you do look somewhat alike.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, since just a while ago Xander claimed to be the cute one.”

“He does tend to be quite the joker.” Giles gave a small smile. “Would you like a cup of tea? Classes should be in full swing now; we would have some time for a chat. That is unless Principal Snyder decides to check up on me, the insufferable twit.”

“Nah, the midget knows I’m in here. I don’t think he’ll come anywhere near the library for at least the rest of the day.”

Giles smirked a little. “Made a lasting impression on our principal have you?”

“Yeah, the kind that left him shaking in his shoes as I walked away.”

Giles’ smirk turned to a full grin. “Come on then, tea time.” Giles went into his office and Yusuke followed. In no time Giles had two cups of steaming tea ready, one for each of them. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Yusuke blew on his tea. “Listen, I’ll give you some credit that you’re a decent guy. Botan seems to think pretty highly of you.” He took a sip.

Giles nodded. “I suppose I should thank you. You come highly recommended by the same source.”

The younger man grinned impishly and Giles was taken aback, the smile made him look even more like Xander. Yusuke completed the grin with a chuckle. “Yeah well, what does Botan know? She’s dating Mukuro.”

“Quite.” He took a sip of his tea while Yusuke reached into his pocket and brought out a small device that reminded Giles of a make-up mirror. He was more than little surprised when Yusuke handed it to him. “And this is?”

“It’s a communicator. Unfortunately they still look like a girl’s compact. I’ve complained to Koenma but it can’t be helped, this is what we’re stuck with, for now anyway.”

“And what exactly do I do with it?”

“You can use it to contact Botan. I’ll give Xander one later.” Yusuke reached for his tea and took another sip.

“I take it it’s for emergencies only?”

“Koenma would prefer it that way.”

“But?”

“But it will be the main source of communication between me and Xander. That way no one runs up a phone tab that’s higher than this country’s national debt.” Yusuke smirked.

“Alright…but we can call on you if we see a need to?” Giles asked.

“Yeah, if the need is great enough give us a call; heck, just call Botan and she’ll get in touch with whoever you need.”

“Thank you.”

“Only the best for my brother.”

Giles smirked. “Of course. Now tell me how you meet Botan?”

“You said we had a while?”

“More than an hour.”

“Well, it all started the first time I died…”

xxx

Yusuke left the library feeling confident that he had gained a good friend and ally in Giles, something he just might need should Buffy discover him and try to ‘slay’ him. He wasn’t overly worried about a teenage girl with mystic powers. From the state of the ‘demons’ in Sunnydale, he was pretty sure he could eradicate any and all threats without even trying. Then again he didn’t want to alienate his brother from his friend, and apparent crush. Giles had mentioned that he might have a way to fool Buffy’s senses, and that he was already looking into it.

So now he was stuck wandering around town, hoping to find something to distract him until Xander was out of school. Wandering around Sunnydale, while somewhat interesting, wasn’t a big deal; in fact the visual perfection of the town was starting to get to him. Neighborhood after neighborhood of picture book houses, the kind you saw in American Magazines. There should be a law against that many white picket fences. They looked so innocent, gleaming white in the sun, yet at the same time looking at the fences gave him the creeps. Luckily Xander lived in a not so cheery neighbor hood, where the fences had been torn down and replaced with half dead shrubbery.

On second thought maybe he could get Kurama over there sometime to do a little gardening. At the very least Jessica would appreciate it.

On his wanderings he noticed another creepy factor, something he hadn’t noticed the night before when he and Xander were patrolling. Sunnydale had twelve cemeteries. That fact made him especially uneasy, no matter what Botan and Giles said it made him worry about Xander. He didn’t want to become an only child again. He wondered if Xander ever noticed the number of cemeteries.

He’d become bored just meandering around town, and had been regretting Xander’s offer to skip and keep him company…at least until he thought of what Keiko would do to him if she found out.

As thoughts of Keiko crossed his mind he stopped short in front of a shop with large glass windows. On the other side of those windows was a painting and it made him want to kick himself. It reminded him that he still hadn’t gotten a present for her. He grimaced at the painting and his own reflection in the window; he’d promised Keiko that he would get her something to decorate the apartment they had picked out.

The painting looked like something she’d like, but it took up nearly the whole window and would make their future home look cluttered, something his fiancée had warned him against.

He fought an inner battle, wondering if there was something similar, but on a much smaller scale inside the shop. His eyes wandered up to the sign above which simply proclaimed ‘The Gallery’ in bold red letters that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. With a sigh he reached for the door and gave it a push before stepping inside.

While dimmer than the day outside the cooler area of the gallery was well lit and it was filled with more than just paintings. There were sculptures, displays on tables, and what looked like an odd…well he wasn’t sure what it was, but it was odd. When it moved he nearly shot it, and the thing froze. He noticed it was wearing a long coat, despite the warmth of the day outside, and a large hat pulled low over its face. The gray skin was a dead giveaway that he (it?) wasn’t human. It opened its mouth to speak.

“Uh hi…never seen you around here before.”

Yusuke nodded at him/it. “I’m visiting family.”

“That’s nice.”

“…what are you?”

The other blinked at him strangely. “I’m a demon.”

Yusuke returned the strange look. “And you’re out in broad daylight because?”

“I come to the gallery once a week. The woman who runs it is nice, and I like to look at the paintings.”

Again Yusuke blinked. “And she doesn’t scream and throw things at you?”

“Nah, most humans in this town see only want they want to see. She sees me as an odd but nice enough guy with a skin condition.” At Yusuke’s disbelief he continued. “Hey I’m harmless compared to most demons in this town. Just trying to have a life ya know.”

“Right.”

“Really!”

Yusuke looked at him thoughtfully. “You eat humans? You don’t smell like you do, and believe me I’ve met demons who eat humans; I know what they smell like.”

“Me? Nah, humans are too big. I stick to burgers, cheesy puffs, and the occasional stray cat.”

“Gross.”

“Can’t change who I am…so uh…what are you? You’re not exactly a human yourself. And could you maybe not point your finger at me…the glow thing is kind of creepy.”

“Sorry, just didn’t expect to see something not human in broad daylight.” He looked at the demon closely. “You’re not the same kind of demon as me. My kind is from Makai.”

The demon seemed to grow even paler. “No, no. I’m definitely not from there. I’ve never lived anywhere but Sunnydale.”

“Geez calm down, it’s not like I’m gonna waste ya. I told you I’m here visiting family.” Realizing what that meant the demon started to shake. “Look, you don’t hurt humans I’ve got no problem with you. Heck a few acquaintances of mine eat humans. Everyone’s gotta eat, just don’t be cruel about it. And don’t mess with anyone under my protection.” That seemed to calm him down some. “You gotta name?”

“Clem.”

“Well Clem, I’m Yusuke.” He nodded at Clem. “So I was wondering if there was a place to get a drink and a little information in this town; a bar for non-human customers.” Clem nodded. “Well?”

“Willy’s; just ya know, don’t tell anyone I told you about it.”

“Sure.”

“Okay…well, I’ll just—” Clem motioned at the door behind Yusuke who stepped away from the exit. He was almost out the door when Yusuke caught his arm.

“One more thing Clem.”

Clem gulped and it seemed to echo. “Yeah?”

“Don’t tell anyone you ran into me.”

“Sure thing!” He said it brightly, nervous and eager to please. “Anything else?”

Yusuke reached into his pocket and withdrew a card. “You ever hear of one of the Slayer’s crew in deep trouble take this card to a new grave and put a drop of your blood on it and wait for one of my associates to show up. Someone from Reikai will deliver whatever message you have.” He handed the card to Clem who took it with a shaky hand, his skin swayed with the movement.

“W-why does a Makai demon care about the Slayer’s friends?”

Yusuke smirked. “I told you, I’m here on the Hellmouth visiting family.”

Clem’s eyes widened. “No way!”

Yusuke put a finger to his lips and Clem nodded and started to leave again. “And Clem.” Clem tensed. “Don’t go to Willy’s for the next few days.”

“No problem.” And with that he practically ran out the door.

Yusuke snickered to himself and wandered further into the gallery. His good mood vanished as he saw nothing but more large paintings, things he’d never fit onto the walls of their relatively small place.

“Clem, are you still here?” A woman had emerged from an adjoining room which Yusuke assumed housed an office.

“Ah…he just left.”

She glanced at him and blinked. “Oh…well that’s a shame. I just finished unpacking some photographs taken in Antarctica. He seems to really like frozen landscapes.” She approached him and held out her hand. “I’m Joyce Summers, and this, is my gallery.”

Yusuke took her hand and made a little bow over it and she smiled. And Kurama thought he couldn’t be courtly. “Yusuke Urameshi.”

“That’s an interesting name, Japanese?”

He blinked at her. “Yes actually…well half anyway, my uh…dead beat of a dad is an American. So of course I use my mom’s family name.” He smiled at her look of understanding.

“So, can I help you with anything? You looked sort of disgusted just a moment ago.”

“Ah yeah, just trying to find a wedding gift for my fiancée…something that won’t take up an entire wall of the apartment she has her heart set on.”

“Anything in particular?”

“The painting in the window is something she would like…but I’m not even sure we’d get it in the door.” He didn’t mention that he could probably get it through the doorway on the small balcony, but that would take too much explaining, and as Xander would say, not of the good kind.

“That artist is fairly popular, but originals are always expensive. Here follow me.” She led him even further back to a smaller display of paintings.

“These by the same guy?”

“A student of his actually, and these are all prints so they’re more likely to be in your price range.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Young couples usually tend to watch their budget carefully.”

“I’d agree except that I came into an inheritance a few years ago…we aren’t hurting financially if you get what I mean.”

“Alright, I have some originals by this artist in my office, but I need to warn you that only a few have been priced.”

“That’s fine.”

Again she led him and he wondered briefly if somehow Keiko had managed to train him in obedience when he wasn’t looking because normally he didn’t follow anyone around.

In the office his eyes were drawn to a medium sized painting on a table, it was of an old castle somewhere in Europe. “That one.”

Joyce blinked. “That was fast.”

“I…it just…” Again she smiled kindly at him.

“Sometimes it just works out like that. But it’s one that I haven’t priced yet, have a seat and we’ll look at the artist’s notes and decided on a fair sum.”

He nodded, and smiled sheepishly as he took one of the chairs in front of her desk. Again he felt his eyes dawn to a picture, a photograph this time, on the desk. It was of Xander and two girls, one blond, one red haired.

Joyce sat down behind her desk and noticed him looking intently at the photograph. She picked it up and glanced at the picture of Buffy and her friends.

“Mrs. Summers, why do you have a picture of my brother on your desk?”

She jerked, startled beyond her years and glanced at the picture of Xander and back up at Yusuke, flashing back to her surprise when she’d first laid eyes on him in the main room.

“I wondered why you looked so familiar, that explains a lot.” He just looked at her. “Oh, Xander is friends with my daughter, Buffy.” She pointed at the blond in the photo. “He and Willow are the first friends she’s made here, and they’ve been good for her. And Xander is such a sweetheart.”

“Yeah, he’s a good kid.”

“You know I’ve never heard him mention an older brother.”

“We only just met last night. I’d never met the jerk who left my mom pregnant at sixteen, but well, a friend of mine did a little research and tracked him down. And suddenly I found out I had a little brother.” He blinked. “God, that sounds like the plot of a daytime drama.”

Joyce smiled. “Sounds like you might have found a happy ending though. And I’m glad Xander has a brother to look out for him now.” Her smile dimmed a little. “I got the impression that his home life isn’t ideal, mostly because of all the times he comes over for dinner, Willow too.” Her face brightened again and Yusuke felt the urge to run, it was the kind of look Botan sometimes got when she had a ‘wonderful idea’. “Why don’t you and Xander come to dinner tonight?”

“That’s nice of you but—“ And all of a sudden he realized that perhaps the strength of the Slayer wasn’t just mystical, or perhaps all women had that steely resolve when they wanted something. The look Joyce Summers was giving him left no room for arguing, much less weaseling out of an invitation to dinner. “What time?”

She smiled at him and her eyes twinkled in victory. “Seven thirty?” It wasn’t really a question.

“We’ll be there.”

“Good, now this painting is part of a series—“

xxx

“Blast, I know it’s in here somewhere.”

The scene Xander walked in on was amusing. Giles was elbow deep in a box of what looked to be ancient artifacts. There was a light cloud of dust floating about the Watcher as he searched for something that eluded him by hiding among the old stuff.

“Giles! My favorite Librarian!” Xander exclaimed by way of greeting.

Giles looked up from his search. “I have no doubt that I am the only librarian that you know.”

Xander grinned at him. “Which is why you’re my favorite…so what’cha doin’?” The grin faded and the boy started to fidget, not quite meeting the older man’s eyes. Giles smiled gently and took pity on him.

“I understand that you not only met your brother, but Botan as well, you seem to be handling it fine. I half expected you to be babbling at this point.”

“Yeah well, I babbled last night…which amazingly didn’t scare off Yusuke.” He still didn’t meet the Watcher’s gaze.

“Xander.” Brown eyes flicked up to meet his own. “What’s bothering you?”

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Good Lord.”

“Hey! Just because I’m a normal guy who gets in the way doesn’t mean I don’t think.”

“Xander, you don’t get in the way. In fact if I remember correctly you saved me from a guillotine recently. You are a remarkable young man with a fierce sense of loyalty.”

Xander blushed and gave him a shy smile and a nod. “Thanks.”

“Quite. Now what is bothering you? Yusuke stopped by this morning and we had a nice chat. He seems to be a likable enough fellow who wants to do right by you...” Unlike your father was left unsaid, but Xander nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, it’s pretty easy to trust Yusuke, like it’s a natural instinct or something. But…well he’s my brother, and that still sounds weird coming out of my mouth, but Giles I want him to meet my friends. But Buffy’s the Slayer, if I can tell Yusuke isn’t human she’ll know and she might try to slay him…which would be bad ‘cause Yusuke can shoot energy out of his finger like a gun. He incinerated a vamp from five or six feet away…see there’s the babble we were missing.”

Giles smiled at him. “I agree, for all those involved it would be bad for Buffy to discover Yusuke’s—state of being.”

“Ya think?”

“However I may have a solution, if I can find the blasted thing in all this rot.” He motioned to the box he’d been going through.

“And here I thought something apocalypse-y was happening.” He peered into the box. “Hey what’s this?” He picked up a silver pendant on a chain and held it up for Giles to see.

The pendant was old, at least five hundred years if a day. It was of the sun and the moon being held in the embrace of two disembodied arms.

“That is the Crest of Hidden Wonders.” Giles polished his glasses, hoping to remove the dust that had collected on the lenses, and hoping that was the only reason he hadn’t seen it. “It’s the piece I was looking for actually. After Buffy left to patrol last night I did a little research, and this pendant should be able to hide Yusuke’s demon status from Buffy’s Slayer senses.” That Xander had just picked it up astounded him…perhaps there was a reason the boy was simply able to find it without any effort.

“Cool…so no Slayage in the case of my new-found bro? Thanks a heap Giles.”

“You’re quite welcome.”

“So… ya got anything in that box of goodies that’ll help me pass my history test?”

Giles rolled his eyes. “I’m a Watcher, not a miracle worker.”

“Hey!”

xxx

The inside of Willy’s was what he’d come to expect of small places with scum clientele. The front room was long with booths against one wall, there were a couple of tables by the door, and a row of stools at the bar itself. It could have been homey with a fresh coat of paint, better lighting and a few less demons. Speaking of which, his presence had been noticed, every eye in the place was on him. One demon sneered at him and started to get up, he was a big hulking creature and probably thought Yusuke would be a push over. He let the demon get half way to him when he bared his teeth in a fierce smile, showing his fangs. Being full demon had its perks. Seeing his sharp pearly whites, the big guy froze, nodded in acknowledgment and kept going, leaving before things got messy. He’s smarter than he looks; Yusuke thought and smirked to himself as he made his way to an empty stool.

He sighed and looked at the rat faced bartender. “Sake?” Yusuke tried not to wince at the hopeful tone in his voice.

“Sorry Kid, don’t serve it. Besides, you look a little too young to be in here…” Yusuke flashed his teeth again. “But I do have some good stuff if you’re interested.”

Yusuke grimaced. “Just gimme a beer.” The little man nodded and retrieved a cold bottle from a cooler under the counter. Yusuke looked at the label surprised. “Do I look Chinese?”

The barkeep shrugged. “You guys all look alike to me.” Yusuke snorted and popped the top off the imported Chinese beer. He took a swig and decided it wasn’t that bad…but sake was better. “So uh…how come I ain’t seen you in here before---you gotta name kid?”

“Yusuke; and I’m just in town visiting.”

“Oh yeah? Who?”

Yusuke gave him an evil grin. “Here’s how things are gonna work, Willy right?” Willy nodded. “I’m gonna ask a question and you’re gonna answer it. I get all the answers I want, and then maybe I’ll give you some information.” Willy started to shake his head until Yusuke slipped a large numbered bill on the counter. Willy’s demeanor changed instantly as he slipped the hundred into his pocket.

“What’dya wanna know my friend?”

“The bad ass demon who runs this town, he’s called the Master right?” Willy nodded. “He an equal opportunist or is he focused on the Slayer and her gang?”

Willy looked thoughtful. “Well, he doesn’t like the Slayer, but I don’t think he knows her sidekicks exist. Lucky kids.”

“And the rest?”

“Anyone caught after sundown is fair game.”

Yusuke pondered this for a moment as he sipped his beer. “Think that will last with the way they keep throwing themselves into the thick of things?”

“Who knows? I don’t know how the Master thinks, and I’m better off that way. And so are you my friend.”

Yusuke smirked. “Anybody else lookin’ to put the bite on those kids?”

“You plannin’ somethin’?”

“Answer the question.”

“I ain’t heard nothin’! ‘Course now everyone here might try to take a crack at them.”

He turned on the stool, putting his back to Willy. “Well?”

A vampire sneered at him. “There something special about those two?”

Yusuke brought his hand up and pointed at the vamp. A small blue light appeared at his finger tip before shooting out a beam at the animated corpse; the vampire was dust before he could move an inch. The entire room was silent, no one moved, he had their devout attention. “The Slayer’s people, her friends, are off limits; especially Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris.”

“Who are you to give us orders?” One demon brave enough to stand up asked him, flicking her mottled purple and green hair over a gray skinned shoulder.

He let a little of his power trickle out, enough to make a few of the weaklings piss on themselves. “Yusuke Urameshi, Raizen’s successor.”

The word Mazoku rippled in whispers around the room.

“So uh…beggin’ your pardon your highness…why are you so interested in the Slayer’s groupies?” Willy asked.

Yusuke chuckled. “Xander Harris is under my protection, and so is his friend Willow by default.”

“But why?” This came from the female.

“Xander is a descendant of Raizen…and my little brother.” He grinned at them all. “Something happens to him I’ll kill every demon in this town.”

Silence and worried eyes met his announcement.

“Hey Willy, get me another beer.”

xxx

Xander raced out of the building at top speed ten whole minutes before the bell rang to signal the school day’s end. Yusuke was on the steps waiting for him.

“Tell me you didn’t just hang out here all day!”

“Nope, I walked around town a while, and made some lasting impressions with the local demon population.”

“Why does that sound like a bad thing?”

Yusuke shrugged. “Nothing to worry about.”

Xander rolled his eyes. “So says the guy who doesn’t live on a Hellmouth. Anyway, here put this on; and wear it under your shirt.” He tossed the pendant to Yusuke who gave him a strange look. “Giles said it’ll hide your demony-ness from Buffy. She’ll think you’re just an ordinary human.”

“Cool, and just in time to avoid a close call too.”

Xander’s eyes bugged. “What did you do?”

“Well, I walked around Sunnydale and ended up inside an art gallery.”

“Geez you met Buffy’s Mom and got us invited to dinner tonight didn’t you! See this is why I should have been with you.”

“You have experience saying no to pretty women who want to feed you?”

“Ah, no…never mind you make a good point.”

“And how’d you guess that anyway? You’re not psychic right?”

“Nah, there’s only one art gallery in town and Buffy’s mom runs it.”

Yusuke snorted. “This is the weirdest town.”

To which Xander grumbled. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet brother of mine.”

XXX


	5. Chapter 5

Demon’s Kin  
By: calikocat  
Word count: 3581

 

XXX

“So have you told them about me at all?” Yusuke asked as he attempted to follow his younger brother through the throng of students eager to leave campus.

“I might have told them to meet me in the library for something important on a life changing scale.” Xander threw a smirk over his shoulder. “I thought I’d leave the giant blue chicken for you to explain.”

Yusuke rolled his eyes. “He’s not a chicken, he’s a spirit beast, and I’m not gonna tell your friends that I’ve got a giant pet bird named Puu. I do have my pride.”

“Pride is overrated.” Xander muttered. The comment made Yusuke frown and pause in the middle of the hallway, it was a mistake because Xander moved on ahead, leaving him swimming in a pool of unwanted adolescent hormones. He sighed and started walking again when a hand touched his shoulder, lightly tapping it to get his attention. Turning around he met the gaze of the brunette that had checked him out that morning.

“I’ve been looking for you all day! Well not all day, my schedule is too busy to give that much thought to someone as rude as you. What were you thinking looking at me like that and then walking by without introducing yourself?” Her stern tone turned lighter and she smiled at him. “I’m Cordelia by the way, Cordelia Chase. And you are?”

Yusuke took a step back, eying her warily, he had a feeling she’d be trouble. “Lady, you smiled and I nodded to be polite, then I went on with my day.”

Her smiling eyes grew a little harder, her voice becoming clipped. “You seem a little confused; I take it you’re new here.” She took a step forward, and looked him in the eye, her gaze as cold as ice. “Here’s how things work at this school. I rule the scene, I decide whose cool and who’s a social leper.”

Yusuke smirked, and put his hands on her shoulders to push her away gently and to keep from losing ground. “You’re also jail bait, and I’m not a student here, but more importantly, I’m happily engaged, and my fiancée is a hell of a lot scarier than you.”

Before Cordelia could verbally attack him Xander zipped to his side. “I thought you could keep up, the crowd of kids too much for ya?” He barely glanced at Cordelia. “Come on, I wanna introduce you to the girls.”

“Hey, super dork, we were talking, and who gave you permission to stand so close to me?” Cordelia snapped.

“And now we're not.” Xander grinned at her and waved as he pulled Yusuke along with him as he made a semi-quick getaway. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I left my brother alone to face the deadly verbal sparring that is Queen C.” He continued to drag Yusuke away, leaving Cordelia gaping like a fish.

“BROTHER?” As soon as she said it her mouth snapped shut, people were starting to stare, well the ones that barely qualified as people anyway. But a glare sent them scurrying, and soothed her ego a little. “Hmph. I should have known he was a loser, especially if he’s Harris’ brother.” She turned and stalked back the way she had come, only allowing herself a small glance behind her.

xxx

"I'm telling you Giles, something is up with Xander. He was much more Xander-ish today." Giles gave her a look and Buffy tried to clarify what she meant. "He was bouncy, well bouncier than usual anyway."

Willow nodded, her eyes widened. "He has a secret! I should have figured it out before! Xander has always been like that when he had a secret! He even told us to meet him here after last period…"

Buffy whirled on her friend. "A secret? Like a bug lady girlfriend who might bite his head off or rip out his heart? Giles we need to research! What other kinds of demons stalk bouncy Xander-shaped boys?"

Giles took his glasses in his hands and proceeded to polish the lenses. "Buffy, I can assure you that Xander is in no danger, he is simply excited."

Willow looked relieved for all of two seconds. "Why is he excited? Is it a good excited?"

"Is there any other kind of excited besides good excited?" Xander asked as he came into the Library, followed by an older version of himself.

Buffy's eyes bugged and she made incomplete sounds of surprise as she pointed at Yusuke.

"Xander?" Willow looked from her friend to the stranger beside him and back again. “Why did Buffy lose her words?”

Xander only smiled at his oldest friend before his gaze transferred to their guest. "Guys, this is my brother Yusuke Urameshi. Yusuke these are my best friends, Willow and Buffy. And you know Giles already."

Yusuke smiled at the girls. "Nice to meet you."

Buffy whirled on Giles her words back in full force. "You knew why Xander was especially bouncy today and you didn't tell us!" She pouted.

Giles was unmoved as he returned his glasses to their proper place. "I was sworn to secrecy, I believe Xander wanted it to be a surprise."

The pout eased and she sighed. "I'll forgive you this time, but no more secrets, secrets are bad."

Willow blushed, but nodded. "Because secrets can lead to stalkers."

Yusuke gave them odd looks and Xander shrugged. "We all tend to attract the freaks--“

“Older adult-type freaks.” Buffy added.

“Yeah, the kind that prey on high school kids and pretend to be hu-things they’re not. And…and that’s just so.”

“Wrong.” Buffy nudged Willow. “You were starting to babble.”

Willow blushed again and looked at Yusuke as if in apology. “I babble when I’m nervous.”

Xander grinned. “Nothing to be nervous about Wills.”

“Unless of course you’re the next victim of someone that doesn’t like taking no for an answer.” Yusuke gestured to the door they’d come through. “Does she always do that?”

“Only to any guy she considers good enough to wear on her arm. No offense Yusuke, but you don’t look eighteen. That’s why she thought you were a transfer, and fresh meat.” Xander grinned impishly. “He had a run in with our resident Teen Queen.”

Buffy and Willow shared a knowing look. “Cordelia is one of Sunnydale’s less accommodating attractions.” Buffy grimaced. “It’s a shame you had to meet her at all.”

“Well he’ll be safe now; Cordelia knows he’s my brother. She won’t look twice at him now.”

Yusuke snorted. “Works for me, Keiko would kick my ass for leading any girl on, even on accident. And I’d rather not spend my honey moon on the couch.”

Xander and Yusuke moved further into library to lounge with the others at the counter.

“Did you find anything interesting in your wanderings of the town?” Giles asked. Buffy shot her watcher a withering look. “Oh for gods sake Buffy, Yusuke was here earlier to talk to me and discuss Xander’s well being, since I’ve somehow managed to become some sort of a mentor to all of you.”

“Sorry.”

“You haven’t even heard the best part Buff. Yusuke bumped into Snyder this morning, and you know how Snyder is evil in the evil principal sense? My big bro here is immune to evil adult mojo, and Snyder is scared of him.”

Yusuke blinked at the surprise and near worship that suddenly appeared in both girls’ eyes. Buffy batted her lashes at him and smiled to let him know she was kidding. “You are my new favorite person.”

He raised an eyebrow at the exchange, but dismissed it and gave the blond a sheepish smile. “That’s good, because I somehow managed to get invited to your house for dinner.”

“Yusuke ended up at your mom’s gallery, and saw the picture of us on her desk. There was a mutual aha! moment and now we’re coming to dinner.”

“You don’t mind do you?” Yusuke asked.

“Nah, mom’s like that sometimes. And since you’re Xander’s brother it’s cool. What were you doing in her gallery? You don’t seem like an artsy-kinda guy.”

Yusuke laughed. “I’ll agree with that. But my fiancée, Keiko, is big on art and other classy things. I’m a much more simple kind of guy.”

There was a moment of awkward silence in which Buffy cautiously glanced at Giles. “So if we’re going to have company for dinner, that means I should leave with them.”

“We have a while, your mom said to be there by seven thirty.” Yusuke offered. “If you have something to do we can go hang out somewhere else until then.”

Buffy looked at Giles, her lower lip already sticking out a bit in the beginnings of a pout. “Giles, can we skip the tr-studying tonight?” The Librarian rolled his eyes.

“Not completely.” He shared a look with Yusuke and smiled. “Buffy has some ‘studying’ to do, give us an hour or so then you can all go to dinner at her home.”

Yusuke nodded. “Don’t study too hard kid; you’ll fry your brain that way.” He grinned and clapped a hand on Xander’s shoulder. “Let’s go Xander, you can show me that club you were talking about.”

“The Bronze? That might be a problem, it'll be another thirty minutes before they open.”

Buffy tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Xander, we have an algebra test next week. Maybe you should study too.” She grinned at the study part.

Xander waved her off. “That’s a week away Buff. You know Willow will drill us a couple of days before.”

Willow rolled her eyes. “I’d better go with them Buffy. If I know Xander they’ll end up at the ice cream shop.”

“Gotcha, don’t want our bestest bud to spoil his appetite.” Buffy grinned and Xander snorted. “I’ll see you guys at my house.”

“Later Buff!” Xander waved as he and Willow flanked Yusuke who laughed at their questions.

Buffy smiled at them as they left and turned to Giles. “Can I at least call my Mom and ask if Willow can come to dinner too?”

Giles sighed and nodded. “If you’re quick about it.”

“Thanks Giles.” She bounced over to the phone on the counter and proceeded to dial. Giles smiled as he watched her.

xxx

Yusuke wasn’t really all that familiar with Western food, sure he’d had fast food, McDonald’s was everywhere. But his second home cooked meal was something he’d remember for a long time. The food Jessica had cooked was better than anything his mom had ever tried to do…but Joyce was obviously some sort of expert. As a result both he and Xander practically inhaled their food.

“Xander…you do know the steak isn’t going to run away right?” Willow smiled at her oldest friend. “You don’t have to eat so fast.”

He grinned back. “Come on Wills, you know how I am around good food.” He glanced at Yusuke. “I think it’s a family trait.”

“Hey, the only time my mom cooks is when she’s wasted, and it’s never safe to eat whatever it is.” Yusuke grimaced at the memory.

Joyce smiled wearily at both boys, feeling a little heartsick that neither one had had proper nutrition during their childhoods. “There are a couple of steaks left. I’ll wrap them up and you can take them home with you Xander.”

Xander blinked at her and was about to decline the offer, but Buffy, who was sitting on his left gave him a nudge under the table. He met her eyes briefly and smiled. “Thanks Mrs. Summers.”

Satisfied with that Joyce picked up her plate and headed toward the kitchen. “Don’t go anywhere.” She called over her shoulder. “There’s ice cream for dessert.”

“Didn’t you already have ice cream?” Buffy asked Xander.

“Yeah and?” He gave her a serious glance. “You sure about the steak Buffy?”

“Yeah, we don’t always eat the leftovers.” She snuck a look towards the doorway to the kitchen before whispering. “And I rather have meatloaf anyway...which is what we're having tomorrow.”

Xander grinned. “Kay, thanks Buff.”

“No problem.”

Yusuke smiled as he took his plate into the kitchen. “Hey, thanks for that. Jessica cooked last night but it was nothing like this.”

Joyce returned the smile as she wrapped the two remaining steaks in foil. “I do my best to make sure he always feels welcome here. Willow too, you know her parents are never around. I’ve at least ran into Jessica at the grocery, but the Rosenburg's are always out of town.”

“Poor kids. Good thing you and Giles are around.”

“Giles? Oh, the librarian they all think so highly of. Yes he is just wonderful with them. Its too bad he doesn’t have children of his own. But I’m glad they have him to look up to. He’s a good role model, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.” He rinsed his plate in the sink. “Hey Joyce.”

“Yes Yusuke.”

“If you and Buffy ever need anything have Giles get in touch with me.”

“Oh, that’s okay Yusuke.”

He shook his head. “No, I mean it. You’re both very important to Xander, so if you need anything you let me know through Giles.”

Joyce nodded, touched by his sincerity. “I will.” The moment passed and Joyce moved toward the doorway. “Get some bowls down for me will you Yusuke? They’re to your left in the cabinet. I’ll go see what kind of ice cream they want.”

“Sure.”

She left the kitchen and Yusuke opened the cabinet and reached for the bowls that were on the top shelf. A movement on the other side of the window caught his eye. A man was slowly backing away from the glass, trying to blend in with the shadows. Yusuke glared at him and flashed a bit of fang. The man’s face changed and Yusuke’s glare became deadly as he silently snarled at the vampire, warning him off. The vampire snarled back but continued to disappear into the night.

xxx

On the way back to the house Xander’s babble was a near constant presence; it was sort of a soothing thing that he was still getting used to. But he kept his up his guard just in case the vampire from the Summers' house was following them. But so far so good, the only demons he’d seen had immediately slinked away once they caught sight of him. It was good to be king...well...former king.

“This has been the best day ever…except for the part where you made me go to school. That part wasn’t fun.”

Yusuke smirked as he walked beside his brother. “You’ll live.”

They had just set foot on the front lawn when the sound of glass breaking stopped them in their tracks.

“Or not.” Xander muttered. “Well…this was the best day ever…now it’s gonna be the worst night ever.”

A man’s voice shouted and they heard a woman shriek before something else breakable shattered inside the house. Yusuke frowned, not sure what to do. He didn’t want Xander in there, but leaving Jessica on her own wasn’t the best option either. He glanced at his little brother and the sight shocked him. The bouncy youth had shrunk in on himself, his very presence seemed muted somehow. In the back of his mind Yusuke realized that Xander was able to hide his aura, the result of a natural instinct that had been grilled into him from a young age.

The sight of his new-found and treasured sibling made Yusuke’s choice much easier. “Come on.” He grasped the hand that wasn’t holding the steaks and gave it a squeeze. Xander’s empty eyes met his and they regained a bit of their strength. He nodded at Yusuke and they went inside.

“Jessica! Get yer ass out here! You stupid bitch.” Tony Harris yelled as he pounded on the door of the downstairs bathroom. “Get out here now!” He continued to pound on the door, occasionally stopping to take a swig from the bottle of cheap liquor in his other hand. He drank the last bit and smashed it against the door frame. “It’ll be worse if you don’t come out now Jessie. You know that.” He grunted.

Tony looked up and squinted at the sudden appearance of two boys in the hallway. “The hell you doin’ bringin’ home a boy?” Tony slurred.

“You don’t…you don’t look so good dad, maybe you should go sleep it off a little. I’ll clean up the glass.” Xander took a tentative step forward.

“You tryin’ to tell me what to do boy?” Tony made a grab for Xander but the taller kid pushed Xander behind him. “Get outta my house punk.” He snarled and took a swing at the kid.

The next thing Tony Harris knew he was slammed against the wall, he blinked as his legs gave out and he slid down. He put his hand to his face, and looked shocked to see the blood shining in the dim light. He looked up and finally noticed that the kid looked an awful lot like his worthless son. But with his blurred vision it was hard to be sure.

“Don’t ever lay a hand on Xander again. Got it? Dad?” Tony gaped at the kid. “You know who I am now?”

Tony tried to nod, but his head hurt too much to put that much effort into the action. “Atsuko.” He murmured.

“That’s right pops. I’m Yusuke Urameshi. Atsuko’s son.” He leaned down and growled at Tony. “You hurt them again old man, and I’ll know.” He grinned, baring his fangs even more as he stood up straight. The grin turned to a smirk as Tony passed out. “Piece of crap, that’s what you are.” Yusuke did his best to ignore the urge to kick Harris and turned to look at Xander. The poor kid was shaking and his eyes were clenched shut.

A feeling of despair did it’s best to surround Yusuke’s heart and he pushed it way as he reached for his little brother, hoping the display with Tony hadn’t scared him so bad he’d want nothing to do with him. He wrapped his arms around Xander and the boy’s legs gave out and he gently sank with him to the floor. Xander whimpered and began to shake harder and Yusuke pulled the smaller boy into his lap and began to rock him back and forth. In the background he could hear Jessica crying behind the still locked bathroom door.

“I’ve got you Xander. I’ve got you.” He whispered every reassurance he could think of into his little brother’s hair and kissed the top of his head, all the while rocking him, even after the kid had stopped shaking.

It seemed like hours before Xander’s breathing had evened out and his heart had slowed to a steady beat. “Poor kid.” He’d fallen asleep in Yusuke’s arms. Very carefully he rose, still holding Xander, who clung to him, even in his sleep. The trip upstairs was slow and quiet and Xander was so still it scared him a little.

Xander’s room was dark but he had no trouble making it to the bed and laying Xander down on it, though it took some doing to get the kid to let go of him. He removed the kid’s shoes and pulled the covers over him and made his way back toward the door.

“Steaks.” Xander’s whisper was barely audible but Yusuke still heard it and smiled a little.

Back down stairs he picked up the steaks from the floor where Xander had dropped them and nudged Tony away from the bathroom door. “Jessica.” Silence greeted his voice. “Jessica its Yusuke. Tony’s out cold, you can come out now.” The door opened just a bit and she peeked out.

“It’s safe Jessica. Go on the bed. Xander is already sleeping.”

Her eyes were red from crying and she was shaking a little. Her right eye would be black tomorrow. “Thank you. You’re a good brother.” She tried to smile as she hurried past him and toward the stairs.

Yusuke made a detour to the kitchen and put the steaks in the fridge before returning to the slouched form that was Tony Harris. He sneered at the unconscious man and proceeded to drag him by his ankles down the hall and out the front door. Once they were a good distance from the house Yusuke stopped dragging him and crouched down beside him, wrinkling his nose at the smell. He counted himself lucky that Atsuko wasn’t a mean drunk.

“I’m leaving you out here tonight dad. I hope you get eaten. It would make Xander’s life a lot easier. He has enough to deal with. He really doesn’t need a bastard like you making his life hell. That kid is a better man than you or I will ever be.” Yusuke stood and walked away, never looking back at the unconscious form.

XXX


	6. Chapter 6

Demon’s Kin  
By: calikocat  
Word count: 2019

XXX

Morning light filtered through the thin curtains and fell across Yusuke’s face. He blinked once or twice and glared halfheartedly at the window, who the hell put a window on the east side of a house anyway? A yawn overtook him and wiped the frown from his face as he stretched and sat up. He was still groggy and for a moment he didn’t know where he was. A rustle of fabric chased the dregs of sleep away and he whirled to face the noise. Xander had shifted and snuggled deeper into his covers.

Oh yeah…he was on the Hellmouth with his little brother, the memories of the night before swamped him and he frowned again. Xander had let Yusuke hold him, calm him down and even let the older boy put him to bed…but what did they do now? Now that Xander had gotten a glimpse of Yusuke’s demon nature would the boy run? Would he scream? Yusuke dreaded all of the possible negative responses his brother could have. He’d never cared what anyone thought of him, Keiko had been the only exception. But Xander had wormed his way into Yusuke’s heart, and he wasn’t sure he could deal with that kind of rejection.

He tried to switch gears, and think different thoughts. Like maybe he could find a way to improve Xander’s life in some way…And on that note, what had happened to Tony? An evil grin plastered his face and he crept toward the window that faced the street. He pushed the curtains aside and looked to where he’d left Tony, only there was no Tony. Hmm. There wasn’t a sign of him anywhere.

A little disappointed at the lack of blood covered grass he’d been hoping for, he moved away from the window and moved to sit beside his still slumbering brother. Xander remained oblivious.

Hesitantly Yusuke reached out to place his hand on Xander’s head. His brother’s hair was soft like his own…when it wasn’t gelled. Again his thoughts returned to the scene in the hall, the memory was as sharp as Hiei’s Katana and would stay with him forever. No kid should have to live with that kind of fear.

“Maybe he got eaten. We can hope right?” Yusuke spoke softly and continued to pet Xander’s hair. “I can’t change your childhood Xander. Those scars will have to stay. But if you need me, I’ll be there for you, no matter what.” He tried to smile, thankful that Xander couldn’t see the pathetic attempt; his own words rang in his head. Xander was the better man. He’d make some girl very happy some day.

“We’re so different Xan. Sure we’re brothers, and come from broken homes…but you still have your innocence. Don’t ever lose it. Even if you end up a full demon like me…keep that part of yourself safe.”

“Ya know…most people keep their inner monologues to themselves. That’s why they’re called inner monologues.” Xander opened his eyes and grinned. “Little early in the day to be this sappy isn’t it?”

Yusuke countered the grin by pushing Xander off the bed, Xander landed in a tangled sprawl on the floor. “Somehow, that was very satisfying.”

“What was that for?!” Xander asked as he struggled to untangle himself from his covers.

“I was having an insightful big brother moment and you ruined it.”

“It’s not like you were debating the meaning of life.”

Yusuke rolled his eyes. “Like I would think about something like that.”

Xander finally broke free of his blanket and climbed back on the bed. “Keiko’s lucky to have you.” He grinned again. “So when are you gonna give me nieces and nephews to spoil and stuff full of sugar?”

Yusuke’s eye twitched before he made a dive for his little brother. “Brat!”

xxx

The mock fight had ended in a tickle fest, which led to Xander’s stomach announcing its hunger very loudly. So Yusuke did the responsible brother thing and dragged his annoying little brother to a restaurant within walking distance. He was just glad he remembered passing it on the walk back to Xander’s home the night before.

Xander was eating slower than he had at the Summers’ house last night. The laughter from their tickle match was gone and replaced by somber silence. Finally Xander looked up from his breakfast platter.

“Just so you know you’re the best big brother ever.”

Yusuke smiled, it was gentle, no mischief on his face. “You don't even really know me yet...but...I have to say that you’re not so bad yourself.”

“So uh…”

Yusuke reached in his back pocket and pulled a communicator out of it. “Here.”

Xander took it, though he handled it as if it would bite. “Why are you carrying make up? And why would I want it?”

Yusuke rolled his eyes. “It’s a communicator. Koenma is lazy and hasn’t updated the model yet.” He tapped the table nervously. “I want you to come back with me.” Yusuke kept his eyes on Xander, not letting him break eye contact.

“Then why the heck did you give me the compact?”

“Cause I know you’ll say no. But you are coming to the wedding. You should be on summer vacation then. I’ll send Botan to get you…that is, if you still want to come.” Yusuke finally broke eye contact, afraid of what he might witness.

“Why wouldn’t I want to?”

“What I did last night…I can do a lot worse.”

Xander looked at him with eyes no sixteen year old should have. They were old before their time. “I’ve seen worse than what you did last night; and that was before I knew demons were real.”

Yusuke understood. His childhood hadn’t been all sunshine and roses either. “We’re good?”

Xander nodded. “We’re more than good. We’re awesome!”

xxx

“You’re certainly here early.” Giles commented from the center table where he and Botan were sharing a pot of tea.

“Look…the British-ness is spreading. He’s got Botan drinking tea and everything.”

Giles sent him a disapproving glare, which he shifted to Botan when she giggled, though she did her best to muffle it with an apology. “Sorry.”

Yusuke turned to look at Xander. They really did look like brothers. The dark hair, the brown eyes; though he doubted he could pull off the puppy look the way Xander could. “You sure you’ll be okay?”

“Sure as I can be living on a site of mystical convergence.”

Yusuke grabbed him in a one armed hug. “Brat.”

Xander hugged him back. “That’s me.”

“Do me a favor and stay alive. I warned off the demons here…but I can’t guarantee you and Willow will be safe.”

“Dude, we’ve got the Slayer and Super Librarian Man. We’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Yusuke snorted and tightened his hold on Xander before changing the hug into a noogie.

“Hey! Quit it!” Xander laughed while he struggled and put some space between them once Yusuke let go.

While they had played Botan had finished her tea and given Giles a kiss on the cheek. He smiled a bit. “Do stay in touch Botan.”

“Of course.” She smiled back and produced her oar from wherever she kept it. “Ready Yusuke?”

“Yeah.” He looked at Xander one more time. “Remember, Botan will be back to pick you up for the wedding…and maybe the whole summer?”

“What about your honey moon?”

“That will only last a week. You can hang out with the guys if you want. Or…I don’t know…you could stay at our apartment while we’re gone.”

Xander grinned. “I’ll think about it.”

“Cool. Stay safe.”

“Always.”

Before Yusuke could say anything else he was whisked away by Botan and they disappeared through the ceiling.

Xander gaped. “She…they…how?”

Giles sighed. “You’ll get used to it.” He sipped his tea and smirked behind his cup.

xxx

Yusuke walked in the door of the Yukimura store and wasn’t at all surprised to see his friends gathered at one of the tables, luckily they were the only customers. Keiko waved from behind the counter.

“Welcome back.” Her look grew a little sharper. “Botan brought you back hours ago. Where have you been?”

Yusuke shrugged. “Time zones are hell; we left Sunnydale at nine in the morning and got back to Japan a little after midnight. I got jet lag without the jet, and Koenma wanted an update.” Keiko looked satisfied with the explanation.

“Sit down and I’ll get you something, but flip the sign first.”

Yusuke did as he was told and flipped the sign before joining the others at their table. Keiko wasn’t far behind with a plate of food, and she sat beside him after placing the plate in front of him.

“Thanks Keiko.”

Kuwabara cleared his throat. “So how was the Hellmouth?”

Yusuke smirked around a mouthful of food; he cast a weary gaze at Keiko and swallowed it before answering. “I made a lasting impression on the local demon population.”

Kurama choked on his drink and waved Kuwabara off when he smacked his back. Once he recovered he shook his head. “What did you do?”

Yusuke shrugged. “Not much; I just declared Xander and one of his best friends off limits.”

Hiei tilted his head to the side and raised a brow; his eyes still held amusement over Kurama’s choking fit. “Xander?”

“That’s what he goes by, instead of Alexander. It suits him.”

Keiko rolled her eyes and sighed before lightly smacking Yusuke’s arm. “If you had to bully them, why did you only say one of his friends is not on the menu?”

“Because his other friend, who happens to be the girl he likes, is the Slayer.”

Hiei snorted. “Not even you could keep the girl from her fate. She won’t last long.” Kuwabara elbowed him in the side.

“Hush Hiei.”

Yusuke shook his head. “Maybe she will. Botan said she’s been at it for more than a year, and she seems to be doing okay.”

“That may be true for now, but Slayers never live very long Yusuke. Demons and vampires are always eager to have the death of a slayer on their mantle.” Kurama spoke softly, his green eyes sad. “Their lives are like a fast burning flame that flickers in the wind.”

“Yeah, but how many Slayers have a support system? Botan told me how the Watcher’s Council operates. They’re nothing but a bunch of desk jockeys who don’t know what it’s like to risk your life in a fight.”

“Does this Slayer have a support system?” Kurama looked genuinely curious.

“The Slayer’s name is Buffy. Xander and Willow are her support system, they help with research…and Xander patrols when Buffy is training.” He grimaced. “I showed him a few moves and he never goes anywhere unarmed…I hope scaring the locals helped him out.”

“Poor kid.” Kuwabara shuddered. “Living on the Hellmouth with the Slayer as a friend. He’ll never get any piece.”

Yusuke nodded in agreement. “Yeah…but Xander had no peace to begin with. Our old man was a drunk, and a mean one. Tony has been knocking Xander and his mom, Jessica, around for years. I took care of the bastard, so he’ll never lay a hand on them again.” He chewed his food and glared at the surprised gazes of his friends.

“Yusuke?” Keiko put her hand on his arm.

“I didn’t kill him. I just left him out cold on the street for the vampires. He was gone in the morning. No blood though, so for all I know he could still be alive.” He shrugged. “Xander won’t miss him.”

Keiko smiled. “Good. Now…will someone please tell me what a Slayer is?”

XXX

The End….


End file.
